4 The Prison
by miss37
Summary: Jim Kirk, Spock, and Bones go down to visit a planet which does not seem to have any technology. However, they discover that the planet has been taken over by a woman who knows exactly who they are, and imprisons them. They find themselves in a dire situation as they are sold for a bounty on Jim Kirk.
1. Chapter 1

The Enterprise was approaching the planet Badoran. It was an inhabited planet, but did not have space capabilities…or at least, they had not detected any technology with their scan of the planet. It was a planet of humanoids, and they basically looked like humans except they had what looked like a small gold plate on their foreheads, and they were telepathic. Jim Kirk intended to go down to observe their way of life, and he was taking Spock and Bones with him. They had been fitted with clothing that matched that of the Badorians. It included a head wrap that looked somewhat like a flat-topped hunting cap with even a scarf hanging down in the back. Jim was glad of that hat because it hid the fact that they did not have the golden plate. He wondered if the inhabitants of the planet would figure out that they were not telepathic just because they were not communicating with everyone. Would they even talk? Did they all communicate telepathically all the time?

"What if they decide we're invaders?" Bones asked.

"We're not invading, Bones," Jim replied.

"They might take it as that. After all, we're not going to announce our presence down there."

"We're only going to see what they do on this planet."

"It is our purpose to observe and learn, Doctor," Spock added. "If they do not realize that we are present, there should be no problems."

"There's always a big IF in all these away missions. IF we aren't seen, we might just get away without having to run full speed through a jungle with people throwing spears at us."

"Must you be so pessimistic?" Spock looked at Jim. "Is it necessary to take the doctor along when he so clearly has no desire to go?"

Jim smiled. "I like to take him just so he can state everything that could possibly go wrong," he said. "You're logical enough, Spock. Besides, he's our medical doctor, and he goes along in case there's a problem."

"Yeah, I'm just there to patch everyone up when the mission goes haywire," Bones said.

"You have to admit, this trip would be rather dull without him."

Spock scowled at that. "The dimensions of human emotion escape me when it comes to boredom."

"Having you and Bones along is like having the galaxy's best comedy act."

Spock and Bones just stood there a moment as Jim walked out the door. "Did he just insult us?" Bones asked.

"I am not certain, Doctor," Spock replied.

"After you."

They followed Jim to the transporter room. "Okay, Scotty, make sure you put us down outside the city," he said.

"Yes sir," Scotty replied. "I have an uninhabited area where you can most likely walk into the city and no one will be the wiser."

"Good."

Jim, Spock, and Bones got onto the transporter pad. "Energize," Jim said.

"Good luck," Scotty said.

They were soon materializing in a grove of trees outside the city. The city was not a modern city by any means. It was more like a town, but on this planet, it was a city. There were no paved streets. Jim thought it looked like a place from an old movie he had seen.

"Did we go back in time?" Bones asked.

"No, Bones," Jim said. "They're just living the simple life."

They were surprised to see that the people even had horses. "Is that really a horse?" Bones asked.

"Looks like one to me," Jim replied. "That's weird. I didn't think horses existed anywhere but on Earth."

"I guess you were wrong."

"But how would they get here if these people have no space capabilities?" Jim looked at Spock. "Make a note of that."

"Yes Captain," Spock replied.

"Maybe others have been here on this planet," Bones said.

"But who?" Jim wondered. "And why would they bring horses?"

"You!" someone yelled.

Jim was just a little startled as they realized someone was talking to them. He came over to them. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Visitors," Jim answered.

"You are not Badorian."

"How do you know?"

"You are speaking among yourselves."

"Is that a crime?"

The man was taken aback by Jim's boldness. "Well…no."

"I have a feeling that you are not telepathic either," Spock said. "You are speaking as well. How did you get here, and what do you have to do with the Badorians?"

Bones nudged Jim. "We're starting to attract attention," he said.

Jim looked to see others in the town looking toward them. He looked at Spock. "I think maybe we should evacuate," he said.

"These three are not Badorians!" the man who had confronted them yelled. "They're imposters! They're trying to deceive you!"

Jim was suddenly alarmed. "Scotty!" he said into his communicator.

Jim did not get to finish his call for help because their accuser shot him with a stun beam. He hit the ground feeling pain in his nerves, and he could not move. Bones fell right beside him and then Spock. Jim had never experienced anything quite like it. He knew what was happening, but he could not move.

The next thing Jim knew, he was waking up in a dimly lit room that looked almost like a cave. It was the color of one anyway. He realized his wrist was chained to the wall. He sat up and saw that Bones and Spock were also chained to the wall. Spock was sitting up.

"I assume by our present condition that they do not like strangers," Spock said.

Jim thought Spock had a knack for making understatements. "Is Bones okay?"

"I cannot reach him, Captain, but I assume he is just still out."

"Bones! Bones!"

Bones finally started to move. He groaned at the headache he now had. "What happened?" he asked.

"Our curiosity has landed us in trouble once again," Spock said.

Jim frowned. "We weren't here to hurt anyone."

"It seems that our captors assume that anyone who comes to their planet unannounced is an intruder or invader."

"Well, maybe we can explain to them that we were just curious about their planet."

"I fear that our antagonist will make any efforts we make futile."

"Now, who's being pessimistic?"

"I am simply stating the facts, Captain. I am not attempting to be pessimistic."

Bones finally sat up. "What kind of horror are we facing now?" he asked.

"We have been taken prisoner," Spock said.

"My head is killing me."

"Did you hit your head when you fell, Doctor?"

"Well, I wouldn't know, Spock. I was kinda stunned."

Just then, they heard the lock on the door. The person who came in was not the one who had ratted them out. He was a big tall guy who looked like he could probably bench press all three of them at the same time. He had black hair and dark skin, and he frowned at them. "You will come with me," he said.

Jim figured they would have to go with him whether they wanted to or not. He took their chains off and then grabbed Jim by the back of his neck. "Jim Kirk, you will not try anything," he said.

Jim was shocked. "How do you know my name?" he asked.

"No questions. If you try anything, I will break your arm."

Spock and Bones were shocked by this turn of events as well. The guard turned to them. "If you two try anything, he will pay the price."

He shoved Jim forward and they left the prison cell. Jim rubbed the back of his neck. He was glad the guy at least did not choke him, but he was wondering how he knew his name, and why anyone on this planet knew anything about him. He had never been here, and there was definitely no reason that anyone would know him.

They were led outside and taken to a building that they had not seen earlier. It was a little surrounded by trees and had what looked like jewels in the walls. "What kind of horror is this?" Bones asked in his usual way.

"Silence!" their guard demanded. He grabbed Jim by the arm, reminding Bones and Spock that he would pay for anything they do.

They went into the building, which looked like a small palace. Jim was surprised when they came to the…throne, and there was a woman lying on what looked like a dais, and there were three more guards who were just about as big as the one who was leading them in. She was dressed in a long, purple, silky outfit that looked like she was about ready for bed. She had long, black hair and blue eyes. "James Tiberius Kirk," she said.

Jim looked at Bones and Spock, and then at her. "How do you know me?" he asked.

"I'm their queen. I'm supposed to know everything."

Jim frowned. "Have we met before?"

"You're an intruder on this world."

"I get the feeling you are too."

"You're here to find out about their technology so you can exploit it and stop them from advancing."

"That's not true. Why are you here? You're not a Badorian. We don't know much about this world."

"But instead of requesting to visit, you disguise yourselves as Badorians and come here unannounced. That's invasion."

"Madam, we are not invaders," Spock interjected. "We are explorers, and we only wanted to explore this world and learn more about it."

"For this Federation you belong to. We are not part of the Federation and we do not like it when someone comes to our world unannounced. You will pay for your treachery."

"We do not have any hostile intents," Jim said. "We were only here to visit."

"Then why did you not announce yourselves and ask for permission?"

"Because we didn't know this world had space technology. It's one of our rules that we cannot let a primitive world see our technology."

The woman sat up. "This is not a primitive world!" she declared. "Guard, slap him for that insult."

Jim almost gasped but the guard backhanded him across the face, drawing blood from his nose and lips. Bones glared at their captor. "Just what do you want with us?" he asked.

"I'm going to sell you," she said. "You should bring a high price, Jim Kirk. There's even a bounty out on you."

Jim was quite alarmed now. Who would have a bounty out on him? And why? "Who has a bounty on me?" he asked, knowing he would most likely not get an answer.

"You'll see when they arrive to collect you. You can just call me Queen Marilla."

"You can't sell him!" Bones declared. "That's illegal!"

"Maybe in your federation, but we're not part of the Federation. Since you two are with him, we'll get a price for you as well. I'm sure they won't mind having two extra slaves."

"Slaves?" Jim said. "Look, just let them go."

"And let them what? Go and whine to your friends about you? Never. Take them away, and…make his shackles extra secure."

"Young woman," Spock said. "If you do this, you will only succeed in bringing the Federation into this situation. There are others who know we have come down to this planet."

Marilla stood up. "You will not call me young woman!" she said. "You will call me, Your Majesty."

"You are not the rightful queen to this world. I believe you have come here by chance and have deceived the people into believing you have some sort of power."

Jim could see that Spock was making Marilla furious. "Don't pay any attention to him," he said. "He's a Vulcan. He's full of logic."

Marilla glared at Jim. "You best teach him some manners," she said.

The guard took them out of there, keeping close tabs on Jim. He took them back to their cell and chained them to the wall once again, but he chained both of Jim's hands. "If you cause trouble, you will be in neck shackles," the guard said. "You will find them most uncomfortable."

"How do you know who I am?" Jim asked. "And who has a bounty out on me?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss anything with you."

"Why? Are you afraid of your queen?"

The guard glared at him. "I am afraid of no one," he said. "I honor her wishes…and if she wishes, I will restrain you further."

Jim did not say anything else while the guard was in there. Obviously the queen had caused them all to have hostility toward him. Bones was the first one to speak. "Who is that woman, Jim?" he asked. "How does she know you? And what is this bounty they're talking about? Slaves? They can't sell us as slaves!"

"Doctor, I believe they have us in a position that they can do most anything they wish," Spock said.

"Will you knock off the logic for a while? They're wanting to sell us as slaves!"

"Declaring that they cannot do such a thing will not make it untrue. Panicking will certainly not help us find a way out of this."

Bones looked at Jim. "Do you hear that?" he asked.

"Bones, he is right," Jim said. "I don't know this woman, and I don't know how she knows me. I've never met her before to my knowledge."

"You must have seen her somewhere! Or did more than see her!"

"What are you saying?"

"Maybe she met up with you and you just got her a little offended. You probably don't remember half the women you've…how do I put this? Offended?"

"Oh no. I have not offended anyone, Bones."

"Maybe this one considered it offense."

"I don't remember this woman. Why would anyone in Starfleet be here pretending to be the queen of this planet?"

"She's not pretending, Jim."

"The doctor is correct, Captain," Spock said. "She has become the queen of this world. There is no pretending involved."

Bones looked at Spock. "Don't agree with me, Spock. It worries me."

"Why does it matter if I agree with you if you are correct?"

"You guys, knock it off," Jim said. "We have a serious problem here, and obviously this woman knows enough about me to believe that I can get out of a prison being chained by only one hand."

"It would seem to be so, Jim," Spock said. "This woman is someone from your past that you have forgotten…or perhaps she has changed her appearance."

"But why? And why does she hate me?"

"I believe it is someone else who hates you since she is going to sell us as slaves to collect a bounty on you. She knows of this bounty through some connection she has, and she has been here long enough to have full authority over the people here. The guards could easily overtake her and they choose instead to serve her."

"There must be something appealing about her," Bones said.

"I guess we're just going to have to wait and find out," Jim said. "I didn't get through to Scotty. Either they were jamming us or I just didn't get the message through."

"I do not believe they could help us at this point without creating an incident on this planet that may kill or injure many innocent people who have simply been manipulated by this woman," Spock said. "We can only hope that they send a distress signal to Starfleet and they will find us."

"One way or another, I have a feeling that we're staying in the presence of these people for much longer than we anticipated."


	2. Chapter 2

On the Enterprise, no one knew there was a problem, except that they had not heard from the Captain. "Maybe he hasn't had time to contact us," Sulu said as he sat in the captain's chair.

"Why wouldn't he have time?" Uhura asked. "It's not like Spock not to keep up with time."

"It's not unlike the captain to let a certain time go by, and they may be busy. Maybe they've met up with some people down there."

"I suppose you could be right."

"I think they will contact us as soon as they can," Ensign John McCoy said. He was Bones' brother, and he had joined the Enterprise after Mister Chekov had left for personal reasons. "How could they run into trouble down there?"

Sulu smiled slightly at that question. He knew exactly how Jim Kirk could get into trouble. He could simply open his mouth and say the wrong thing. He knew that Ensign McCoy idolized the captain. After all, Jim was the youngest captain in Starfleet.

"Scotty will be ready to beam them back at the slightest hint of trouble," Sulu said.

Scotty was in the transporter room. He was not getting a signal from the captain, Spock, or Bones, so he assumed that they were fine.

Jim leaned his head back on the stone wall of the prison cell they were being held in. "How long are they going to keep us in here?" he asked. "I think my hands are going numb."

"Move them around," Bones said. "Keep the circulation going."

Jim moved his hands around and flexed his fingers. "What do you think they'll do to us?" he asked.

Bones did not want to think about it. "We don't even know who's coming."

"It is obviously someone with a grudge," Spock said. "I do not believe that it would be wise to try and resist."

"I think if I even look like I'm going to resist, they're going to kill me," Jim said.

"Why do they hate him so much?" Bones asked. "Sure, he's a nuisance sometimes, but I don't think he's such a big threat."

"Thanks, Bones."

"Whatever we think is illogical," Spock said. "We must simply wait to see who we are dealing with."

"What if it's some prison world?" Bones asked. "What if we're put in a hard labor camp and not even Starfleet can find us? What if we're there for the rest of our lives and no one ever knows, and they just burn our old bodies after we die?"

"Doctor, we should not look at the worst case scenario in this situation. There is always a way out of a situation."

"Not on a prison world, Spock. That could be where they're sending us."

They were all silent for a while. There was nothing much to say. They had no way to escape and no way to contact the Enterprise. They could only wait to see what would happen. Jim did not like no win scenarios, and he did not believe in such things. He would not give up no matter how dire the situation looked. Right now, he could do nothing, but he had to believe something would show the way.

When night came, it was clear to Jim, Spock, and Bones that it was dark, and their captors did not intend for them to have any light. "Maybe they think we're afraid of the dark," Bones said. "Or maybe there's some sort of vermin that wander around these prison cells and eat the prisoners little by little every night!"

"Bones!" Jim said. "Please."

"I don't know why they didn't already kill us."

"Doctor, having such a bleak outlook on situations does not help morale," Spock said. "They have informed us that we will be sold as slaves. Therefore, it is illogical to think that they would kill us."

Bones rolled his eyes at that. "He's just nervous," Jim said. "He talks when he's nervous."

"Nervous?" Bones said. "I think I'm beyond nervous."

"I don't know how we can get out of these shackles."

"I have studied them, Captain, and there does not seem to be a way unless we can break them or unless we have a key," Spock said. "Our only hope of escape is when they come to take us from the cell."

"Somehow, I don't think I'm going to be able to get anywhere. They must think I'm an escape artist."

"It is logical to think that they see you as a threat."

"Why?"

"Well, let's go over that," Bones interrupted. "You stopped a maniac from destroying the earth, you stopped another maniac who was bent on revenge against Starfleet. Then you stopped another maniac who intended to use some ancient weapon to destroy Yorktown and then move on to other Federation worlds."

"I didn't do all that by myself."

"No, but you are the captain. You have to admit, the Enterprise has been involved in more clean-up jobs than any other ship in the fleet."

"He is correct, Jim," Spock said. "You are the captain, and anyone who knows of the successes of the Enterprise crew would credit you as the brilliant leader who figured out how to defeat our enemy."

"I didn't say he was brilliant."

"Doctor, you have to admit that if we had not had Jim as our captain, we most likely would not have succeeded at some of our unpleasant tasks. He is a risk taker and…"

"Hold it," Jim said. "I'm not a risk taker…well, I may be sometimes, but not always. And besides, you were the one who detonated those torpedoes to stop Khan."

"But you saved the ship by almost giving your own life, and we most likely would never have defeated the dreadnought without your risk at going over to the ship with our enemy in the first place."

"Let's just say we all make a good team and leave it at that."

"Even in that case, you are still the captain, and they see you as a threat because of your leadership."

Jim frowned. He knew that had to be what it was. They knew his crew was ready to act in a moment's notice on his command. He wished he could contact the Enterprise now. They would find a way to get them out of this prison.

Meanwhile, on the Enterprise…

"I think it's very odd that they have not contacted us at all," Uhura declared.

Sulu was not sure what to do. He did not know what was going on down on the planet, but he knew he could not take the Enterprise down there because he would be breaking protocol, and that was why the captain had gone down there by transporter in the first place. "We can't just go down there, Uhura," he said.

"I'm not picking up any signals from the captain, the doctor, or Spock," Scotty said. "They haven't sent a distress signal."

"What if they can't?" Uhura asked. "You could at least send me down there."

Sulu shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. If there is something wrong, you could be caught right in the middle."

"Captain," Ensign McCoy said. "The sensors are picking up something. It's like an ion trail but there's no ship."

They all looked at the reading. "That's odd," Scotty said. "You usually don't see anything like that unless a ship has just dropped out of warp."

"Where did it come from then if there's no ship?" Sulu asked.

"I do not know."

"Keep the shields up and put us at yellow alert. There's something strange going on around here. Scotty, I want you to try and contact the captain."

"Yes sir."

"There's another one," Ensign McCoy announced.

Sulu looked at Uhura. "What is this?" he asked.

Uhura stared at the reading a moment. "I've heard of new technology the Klingons have been working on," she said. "Cloaking devices for ships."

"An ion trail with no ship," Sulu said thoughtfully. "You think we're looking at…a cloaked ship?"

"What other explanation is there?"

Scotty came back over to them. "I can't reach the captain on the communicator," he said. "You're talking about Klingon warbirds."

"Klingon warbirds?" Sulu asked a little alarmed. "What do you think they're here for?"

"I don't know, sir, but I think we should move our orbit."

"We can't just leave the captain."

"We cannot help the captain if our ship is crippled…or destroyed."

"Send me down to the planet," Uhura demanded. "Then move the ship away."

Sulu was unsure of what to do. He looked at Scotty. "What would the captain do?" he asked.

"He would go down there himself," Scotty replied. "But since he's already there…I don't know."

"We can't go on not knowing what's happening," Uhura said. "Send me down to the planet."

"If I send you down, you can't get involved in anything," Sulu said. "You find out what's happening, and we have to contact Starfleet. We don't even know that the captain is in danger."

"That's why we have to find out."

Sulu looked at Scotty. "Beam her down to the planet," he said. "Make sure she's outside the town." He looked at Uhura. "Make sure you're not seen."

"Yes sir," Uhura replied. She hurried to change into different clothes.

Jim and the others were awakened by a loud commotion in the prison. They had not known that there were other prisoners but they could hear someone talking… _Take these to the ship. They will do fine for our slaves._

Jim was fully awake now as he heard footsteps coming closer. "Bones," he whispered. "Spock."

"We are awake, Captain," Spock replied.

"What did that sound like to you?"

"Captain, I believe our situation is much more dire than we thought."

"It's Klingons," Bones blurted. He pulled at the cuff on his wrist. "They're gonna take us to a Klingon prison world!"

"Doctor McCoy, panicking will not help our situation," Spock said.

"If there's ever been a time to panic, it's now!"

Jim thought he was about to panic himself. If they were taken to a Klingon prison planet…they would be lost. The Federation would not be able to get them out. They would have to find a way out on their own.

The door of the prison cell was opened, and then the lights were turned on. Jim's eyes were totally dazzled and he could not see, but he knew someone was standing over him. They grabbed him and jerked him up to his feet, holding him by the throat, and shoved him against the wall. As Jim could see again, he was looking into the face of a Klingon. Even the look of the Klingon was terrifying, but this one even looked angry.

"This is the one," the Klingon said.

Jim could not ever remember tangling with Klingons except on the Klingon home world…and in one other battle they had been forced into. "You are the one they call Jim Kirk," he said.

Jim was rather alarmed to hear the Klingon speaking something other than Klingon. "You invaded our home world and killed many Klingons. Now, you will pay for your crimes."

Spock and Bones watched helplessly as the Klingon beat Jim mercilessly and he fell to the floor of the prison. Then they were all unshackled and taken outside.

Uhura almost gasped when she saw the Klingons. She backed away into the forest and ran. "Uhura to Enterprise!" she said when she was far enough away.

"Uhura, what have you found out?" Sulu asked.

"The captain and the others are being taken by Klingons! They were being kept in a prison!"

"We're not getting any readings on them."

"There are definitely Klingon ships up there."

"Have they left the planet yet?"

"Most likely. They were about to. I didn't let them see me."

"We'll get you back onboard as soon as possible."

Jim and the others were onboard a Klingon vessel. Spock and Bones made sure they sat down on either side of Jim this time as they were roughly shoved into seats and tied in.

Jim just sat there wishing he was anywhere but here. "Jim, are you alright?" Bones asked.

"Ask me that some other time, Bones," Jim replied. "I think they really hate me."

"Captain, they seem to be referring to the incident on Kronos," Spock said. "They must think we were in league with Khan."

"I thought all those Klingons were dead."

"Obviously not."

"We're in deep trouble, Spock, and the crew may not even know we're being taken from the planet."

"They must have known the ships were there."

"Why would the inhabitants of this planet be in league with the Klingons?" Bones asked.

Jim leaned his head back. He did not feel like trying to figure that out. He just wanted to stop hurting. "I wonder what kind of slaves we'll be," he said.

"I've heard about these Klingon prison worlds. They're brutal."

"Doctor, we may be unable to escape at this time, but we must try to do as we are told to avoid injury," Spock said.

"What about Jim? They've already been brutal to him."

"I believe there is more going on here than we know. He is seen as a threat, but I am sure once we are on the planet, they will want to keep him well so that he can work."

"Oh. How comforting," Bones said sarcastically.

"You guys, please, just be quiet," Jim said. "Talking about this isn't helping us."

Bones was concerned about Jim's injuries. He touched his side and Jim grunted. "Jim, I think you have a broken rib," he said.

"Bones, I knew that before you touched it," Jim replied.

"How do they think he can work like this?"

"I believe his injuries are only an attempt to keep him under control," Spock said. "I am not certain why they see Jim as more of a threat than the two of us."

They knew when the ship went to warp. "We're lost now," Jim said. "We're on our own."

"I've never known you to give up," Bones said.

"We're going to a Klingon prison world."

"Nero escaped," Spock said. "Others have escaped. It is a matter of finding the way."

"Maybe." Jim knew it would not be easy to escape from a prison world. They had all heard of prison worlds. He wondered if he had finally gotten into a situation he could not get out of.

Uhura was back aboard the Enterprise. "We have to track them," she said.

"I am tracking them," Scotty said. "It's not going to be easy to track a cloaked ship through space."

"Uhura, send a message to Starfleet and let them know what has happened," Sulu said. "We have to have some direction in this matter."

"What if they tell us not to go after them?" Scotty asked. "Are we going to disobey a direct order? Wouldn't it be better to go on our own rather than involving someone else?"

"What if we can't rescue them?"

"At least we will know we've tried. Jim would do the same for us."

"But we're not the captain."

"He left you in charge, Laddy."

"Uhura, don't send that message yet. Let's see if we can figure out a way to get them out without causing a galactic incident. We could start a war with the Klingons."

"Well, they shouldn't have taken our captain, doctor, and first officer. That's three people from our ship. I think that's a war threat meself."

"I'm sure the Federation would not see it that way because the only thing they would hear was that a Federation ship attacked a Klingon prison world, and they would all know who did it."

"What are we supposed to do?" Uhura asked. "Just leave them in that place?"

"Even if we go there, we might not be able to rescue them, and we could be destroyed or captured ourselves."

"You're right about that," Scotty agreed. "How can we even get close without them knowing we're there?"

"The Enterprise is more advanced than most ships. There must be a way."

"If only we had one of those cloaking devices."

Ensign McCoy looked around then. "Didn't you say there were warbirds destroyed on Kronos?" he asked.

"Are you suggesting that we go there and…" Sulu stopped before he finished that sentence. He shook his head. "We can't go there. The captain and the others couldn't get there without the Klingons knowing. We can't risk that."

"I think I know two little ladies who could help us find what we need," Scotty said. "Just give me a while, Captain."


	3. Chapter 3

Jim could not say he had ever been onboard a Klingon warbird. It definitely made different sounds than the Enterprise made. However, it was obvious when they dropped out of warp. He supposed they were close to their destination…a Klingon prison world. He was not sure how long they had been at warp. He had been asleep part of the time. He thought maybe it was the only time he did not know he was in pain, but then again, he thought he had been dreaming of pain. He felt Bones' hand on his forehead.

"He feels warm," Bones said.

"They will most likely take him to the medical facility before they send him to work," Spock replied. "Even the Klingons must know that it is logical that a person who is wounded cannot work as well as one who is not."

"I'm not sure the Klingons think logically, Spock. All they think about is how brutal they can be. Who knows what kind of diseases and filth are on this planet? What kind of beings are there now? Are they all going to try and attack us to see if we brought anything with us? Not only that, but they're liable to be exceptionally cruel to Jim because of what happened on Kronos."

"We will try to stick together, but they may separate us."

"Spock, have you ever been in a prison?"

"No."

"Well, this isn't going to be a pleasant experience."

Just then, three Klingons came in and got them out of their seats. They were herded out of the ship. Bones swallowed hard as he saw where they were. It was a dark place, and he realized it was dark because of thick clouds, but it was also very warm. The smell of the place was not very pleasant either. There was a long, low building that they could not even see the end of it. It had no windows but there were doors every few feet. One thing Bones noticed most was that there was a constant rain…not a heavy rain but just rain. There were dim lights all along the place that did not do much to combat the gloom.

"I thought places like this went out long ago," Bones said.

"Obviously not here," Spock replied. "Just do what you are told and you will not have so much trouble."

"I'm not used to hard labor, Spock."

"I cannot say that I am either."

Jim did not think he had ever had so much dread. He had the instinct to run but he knew that would do him no good at all.

They were all taken to separate rooms. Jim thought he might be in what was considered a medical facility. The Klingon who was with him picked him up and laid him on a table in the room, not very gently. "Find out his injuries," he said to the other being there.

As the nurse…or doctor…scanned him, Jim wondered if he could get away from them if he took out the technician. He thought he might shove him into the Klingon and they would be down long enough for him to get out of here. He might could cause enough havoc to stir up the whole place.

The Klingon seemed to pick up on Jim's tension. He grabbed him by the throat. "There is no escaping this prison," he said. "If you try it, you will pay in pain. We have been told about you, but you will not escape Rura Penthe."

Jim gasped for air when he let go of his throat. He had heard of Rura Penthe. It was the most dreaded place in the whole galaxy he supposed…and he was on it. The medical technician just wrapped a bandage around him and then he was taken out of that room, and to another one where he had to change into what looked exactly like a prison outfit, and it was yellow. He did not see Bones or Spock as he was carried to a transport. He supposed it would take him to his designated job…and he would be more alone than he had ever been.

Bones and Spock had been given similar outfits to wear, but of different colors. Bones was wearing a blue one, and Spock's was red. They were carried away in separate transports…not knowing where the other would be. Bones supposed they should have expected such a thing as the Klingons would not leave them together to plot an escape plan.

Bones finally arrived at his place. By the time he got inside, he was already wet from the steady rain. "Your new worker," the guard said.

The one he spoke to eyed Bones. "He looks awful puny," he said. "But he'll toughen up after he's been here a while."

"I'm a doctor, not a laborer!" Bones declared.

"You're not a doctor here. You're whatever we tell you that you are."

"What makes you think you have the right to kidnap us and bring us here?"

"You entered their world without permission. We did not kidnap you. We take their prisoners. You will be here until you die."

"What for? It's not a crime to go onto a planet."

"Maybe not in the Federation, but Badoran is not in the Federation. There will be no more discussion." He pointed to a cot beside the wall that was in a whole row of them that expanded as far as he could see down the wall. "You sleep here. When the alarm sounds, you get up."

With that, the Klingon left. Bones looked around him at the other prisoners who were in the place. Some of them were looking at him with menace, and others with pity. Bones walked over to his cot which he could immediately tell was not clean. He just hoped whoever had been on this cot before did not die of some deadly disease. He lay down anyway and he suddenly felt cold and alone.

Spock was taken to a place much like where Bones had been taken. He knew the beings he was with were rough, prisoners who had been here for who knew how long. Spock was shown his own designated cot. He lay down and thought of how he might escape this place and help his friends as well. He knew it was only logical to cooperate until they could find a way out. He hoped Jim would come to the same conclusion.

Jim was also taken to a section of the building and given a cot. However, he was also fitted with a ball and chain so that he could not run. He just stared at the Klingon who had brought him there. "There are others who will figure out where we are," he said. "You can't keep us here."

"Our reasons for arresting you are justified," the Klingon said. "You have no legal way out. Your Federation will not come for you because they fear war."

Jim knew that might be right but he was not afraid of a fight. Right now, he did not think he would do much good in a fight especially with the ball and chain on his ankle. He just lay down on the cot, glad that he could finally rest a little…maybe.

Scotty had tracked the ion trail of the apparent warbird to the penal colony. "That's Rura Penthe," Sulu said. He looked at Scotty. "It's the worst prison planet in the galaxy. The Klingons are brutal, and it's constantly raining."

"I know it," Scotty replied. "How do we hope to rescue them from it?"

"I don't know but we can't let the Klingons know we're here."

They hid behind a small moon that had a lot of magnetism so that the ship would not be detected by anyone on the prison planet. "In order to get on that planet, we would have to take a small shuttle," Sulu said. "And then we wouldn't have a guarantee that they wouldn't detect it."

"We can't just leave them there," Uhura said.

"I don't intend to leave them there, but I don't think we can do this on our own." Sulu looked at Scotty. "Did you contact them?"

"I did. Haven't gotten a reply yet, but I'm waiting."

"Now that we know where they are, we should leave this system until we can devise a plan."

Uhura wanted to protest that but she knew they could all be in very deep trouble if the Klingons discovered they were there. Then no one else would know what happened to any of them. As she looked at Sulu again, she could see that he was sympathetic to her but there was no other way. They had to have a plan.

They warped out of the system before any Klingons knew they were there. They knew their crew members could be on that prison world for a very long time.

Bones was awakened when a loud, blaring alarm started sounding. He did not feel like he had been asleep long. Jim wondered if he had slept thirty minutes. He was sore all over, and his cracked rib seemed to be even sorer now. Spock had the same feeling that he had not slept long. He simply got in line with everyone else, and was carried away to an even darker place that was underground. He could see what his job would be…mining dilithium. He was given a pick ax and told where to work. He could see the crystals sparkling even in the dim light. They were a very valuable mineral for making warp drives. He swung the ax at the wall, and he did not like the reverberation that came up his arms. He supposed this was a new experience that he was not going to like much.

Bones definitely did not like it. "This is all her fault," he murmured. "I wouldn't even be here right now if she hadn't tried to get me completely thrown off the planet! What kind of justice is that? I could be riding a horse across a pasture in Kentucky…but NO, I'm in a dilithium crystal mine on a Klingon prison world that smells like a thousand dead animals, and may or may not survive long enough to even get out of here!"

"Hey, why don't you shut up?" someone said. "This is bad enough without your complaining."

Bones looked to see a Ferengi standing beside him. "I wasn't talking to you."

"Well, I can hear you."

Bones frowned and went back to work. "Can't even complain around here," he mumbled to himself. "At least on the Enterprise I can complain." He wondered how Jim was doing.

Jim was taken to the mine too. He dropped the heavy ball on the ground and glared at his guard who glared right back. He gave him a pick ax. "Get busy," he said.

Jim just glared at him a moment longer and thought about using the ax on him, but there were plenty of other guards who would either stun him or shoot him. He turned to the wall and thought maybe when he got out of here he would take all the crystals he mined out of this wall. He hit the wall with the ax, and closed his eyes a moment. That sensation did nothing good for his rib. He swung again, and then just took his frustration out on the wall. He thought about Bones and Spock in this place, and he felt that it was his fault. After all, he was the one who decided to go down to that planet. Maybe he could blame it on Starfleet protocol. Always had to be secret…secretly observe without interfering. And just suppose they were purposely found out? Then what? He just had to wonder how they were discovered so quickly, and how the Klingons were involved.

The Klingon guard walked over that way again. "How did you become involved with Badoran?" Jim asked.

"Get to work," the Klingon replied.

"You arrested us illegally."

"I said get to work."

Jim knew he was not going to get any answers. He would do himself no good by refusing to work. "Where are my friends?" he asked.

"You get to work!" the Klingon said more demanding this time.

"I want to know where they are!"

Suddenly, the Klingon drew a knife and shoved Jim against the wall, and had the knife to his throat. "You are in no position to make demands," he said.

Another Klingon who was also a prisoner came over to them. "He doesn't know all the rules here," he said. "I will tell him."

The guard glared at the other but he let go of Jim. "Get to work," he said and walked away.

Jim looked at the Klingon who had spoken up. He could see that he was old. "Who are you?" he asked. "And why did you help me?"

"I am Korak. I helped you because you do not help yourself by being rebellious."

"They have no right to keep us here."

"There is no way out."

Jim could remember too many times that he had been told there was no way. _One must learn to maintain control of oneself and one's crew in the face of danger._ "There's always a way," he said and turned back to the wall. He would not spend the rest of his life in this place. No one could cheat this time.


	4. Chapter 4

Scotty came onto the Bridge. "Mister Sulu, I heard from Doctor Marcus," he said. "She is on her way to Caleb IV."

"Caleb IV?" Sulu said.

"Well at least it's a Federation outpost, and it's close to the Klingon border…we can probably get weapons there, and maybe even the cloaking device we need for a shuttle."

"I still don't know how we're going to get in and get them out."

Scotty smiled. "She's also bringing someone else with her…a master escape artist."

"Who?"

"You'll see."

"I assume it's someone you know…or know of?"

"Absolutely. She would have brought Jayla but she's tied up at the academy. Trust me."

"I think we've all learned to trust each other, Mister Scott."

"Great, because I do not know his name."

Sulu scowled at that. "You don't know his name?"

"No, but I know of him, and Doctor Marcus knows him."

"Does he work for the Federation?"

"Absolutely."

"Good. At least we know he's not a criminal…don't we?"

"Of course. He's a saboteur, escape artist…whatever he needs to be."

"Sounds almost like a criminal, Mister Scott."

"The captain would like this guy."

"Oh."

Sulu hoped they were not about to get into worse trouble. He could not see another way to get their crew mates out of that prison. It would have to be some way of sneaking in and getting back out. He certainly did not want to start a war with the Klingons. They would have to keep them from knowing that they were part of the Federation. He thought he might just get himself into trouble this time, but he would not leave his captain because he would not leave them…even if it meant ending his own career.

Doctor Carol Marcus was on her way. She had been quite upset when she heard that Jim was a prisoner on Rura Penthe. She would do what she could to help get him out of there. Her passenger aboard the ship was a very secretive person, but he was known to those who needed a saboteur, or someone to get into a place that could not be gotten into. He had talents of all sorts. He was highly intelligent and was a lot like Jim Kirk…he just found a way.

"So what kind of weapons are you picking up?" her passenger asked.

"Whatever you think is needed," Doctor Marcus answered. "I'm just glad that we happened to be on the same planet when I received this distress call."

"You care a lot about this Jim Kirk, don't you?"

Carol did not like for people to ask her such questions. "He's a friend of mine," she said. "I was part of his crew for a short time."

"Hmmm, I think you were more than a member of his crew."

Carol looked at the man whom everyone deemed a genius. No one would think he was a genius just by looking at him. He certainly did not dress like a business man, nor like a Starfleet officer, although hidden under his jacket was his Starfleet badge. It was the only way she knew he was truly with Starfleet. He had long, blondish brown hair, and green eyes, and he had a very nonchalant way of conducting himself. It was almost annoying. "I didn't bring you with me to decipher my relationship with Captain Kirk," she said. "I brought you along to help us find a way to get him and the others out of this Klingon prison."

"Rura Penthe." The man shook his head and blew out a breath. "That's a big order. Not only do I have to figure out a way to get onto the planet, but I have to figure out a way to get past the Klingons and find your friends, and get back out with them. Suppose one or more of them are injured?"

"I'm sure you won't be going alone," Carol said. "If you're afraid…"

"Hey, I didn't say anything about being afraid."

"All I've heard of you is that you work alone. You can get into any place, and escape anything."

"Most of the time I can. I've never broken into Rura Penthe though."

"No one has. I suppose if you succeed, you'll be able to brag about it."

"As long as you keep my name to yourself."

"Don't worry. I didn't tell Mister Scott your name. I don't even know it."

"That's the way I keep being a secret weapon."

"That's fine with me as long as you get them out."

"I'll do my best. I always do."

Carol wondered if he was as arrogant as he sounded. He seemed to have plenty of confidence in his abilities. She thought he might have a reason to because she had heard that he was the absolute best…and she supposed even his abilities would be tested this time.

Bones was barely hitting the wall now. He did not feel like he had one ounce of strength left. He finally dropped the pick ax and looked at his gloved hands. He felt as though both his hands were covered with blisters and had most likely been popped and more formed. How long would he be here like this?

"Hey! Who told you to stop working?"

Bones looked to see a Klingon guard coming toward him. He backed up against the wall as the Klingon approached. "My hands," Bones said.

"I don't care about your hands! They'll toughen up! Now get to work…unless you want to face punishment."

Bones was sure he did not want to know what that was so he picked up the ax. He was not sure he could swing that ax again, but he supposed he had to.

Spock was in much the same shape with his hands. He could see others around him who were working. He supposed they had been here a long time and most likely had already been through what he was going through.

Jim felt miserable. Not only were his hands hurting and burning, but so was his rib. He looked to his left and the prisoner next to him was staring at him. "You best get back to work," he said. "Otherwise, you will have bigger problems than your hands. They must have expected trouble out of you for you to have a ball and chain. Who are you?"

"My name's Jim."

"Is that all?"

"How long have you been here?"

The man smiled sardonically. "I don't even know anymore," he said.

"What are you in here for?"

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Maybe you can help me escape."

The man stared at him a moment. "And why would I do that?"

"Because maybe you can escape too."

"No one escapes from this place. Many have tried, many have died, and others have lived to regret it."

"You could help me get this ball off my ankle."

The man stared at him a moment. "I'm Zander. I am here because I accidentally wandered into Klingon space when my ship propulsion systems went off line. I tried to explain to them, but there's no reasoning with the Klingons. I assume you are here for some other reason. I know a ship's captain when I see one."

"How do you know that?"

"Just by the way you act and the way you talk."

Zander turned back to his work, and then Jim realized a Klingon was coming that way. He began slugging at the wall again as well. The Klingon came over and stared at them. "I better hear less talk over here, and more work," he said.

Jim did not even look around at him. He just waited for him to leave. "You're right," he said. "I am a ship captain. They also have two of my crew here."

Zander shook his head. "You will probably never see them again," he said.

"Why?"

"Because they will make it their purpose to keep you away from them. They know how a ship's crew works…like a team, without even speaking."

"They're not only my crew, they're my friends."

"Did they capture your ship?"

"No. The rest of my crew will find us, and they will find a way to get us out of here."

Zander almost laughed. "It took me a long time to accept that I was never going to get out of here," he said. "They know how to break you."

"I won't be broken!" Jim said and slammed the ax point into the wall.

Zander thought Jim just might be one who would not give in to this place. Jim did not want to give in, but he would have to continue to work until an opportunity presented itself.

After what seemed like hours, a loud alarm sounded in the place. Jim wondered what that was for, but Zander dropped his ax. "At least they don't starve us to death," he said.

"We get to eat?" Jim asked.

"Sure. They know we can't work without food."

Jim dropped his ax and waited to see what would happen next. Soon, a Klingon guard came to get them. Jim had to carry the ball connected to his chain. He realized that no one else was wearing a ball and chain. They were taken up from the mine, and out into the rain. Jim thought everything was bad enough without being wet. It also made the ball slippery. The line did not move quickly either, so he was soaked by the time they got into the building they were headed for. He had to squint for a few moments as the lights there were brighter than everywhere else. He could smell something that smelled…good. He was not expecting that, but he was glad maybe they would get something decent to eat.

Jim rubbed his hair back from his face as he looked around the large room. He thought he might see Bones or Spock but unfortunately, he did not see them…at first. He saw them come into the place after he had been there a while. They spotted him right away. Jim was glad to see that they did not look like they had been beaten or anything.

Bones wondered what kind of food they would be eating. He was definitely hungry. Spock was quite hungry himself. "Well, at least we know Jim is still alive," Bones said.

"Yes," Spock replied. "I take it you have acquired some blisters."

"Don't ask."

"Mining is quite unpleasant. I would be hard pressed to understand why anyone would want to mine as a profession."

"People are just cut out for different work, Spock. Besides, I think most mining is done by machines these days. This place is a torture chamber."

Once they had their food, they found that they could sit where they liked. Spock and Bones sat down at the table with Jim. He looked at them. "Nice to see you guys," he said.

"It is good to see you as well, Jim," Spock replied.

"How are your blisters?" Bones asked.

"Terrible," Jim answered. "Why didn't they put a ball and chain on the two of you?"

"I don't know." Bones looked at his food. "Are you sure we should eat this?"

"It doesn't look too bad, Bones. I'm sure it's all we're going to get."

"It tastes quite good," Spock said.

"I wonder what the others are doing."

"I am certain there is no way to know that, Captain."

"They must know we're in here."

"You think they're going to try and get us out?" Bones asked.

"Don't you think they will?"

"It will be a very difficult task," Spock said. "This place is well-guarded, and if one tries to escape and fails, I would not want to know the consequences since our guards are Klingon."

"We're not going to try until we know we can get out," Jim said.

"Jim, I don't know how we can be certain of anything here," Bones said. "Except that we're going to be very sore in the morning. How do you even tell if it's morning or whatever around here?"

"It's a miserable place. The guy I work beside has been here so long, he doesn't know how long."

"I suppose one might lose track of time if one is in a routine and does not know when one days ends and another begins," Spock said.

Jim remembered saying something like that about being on the Enterprise for so long. He wished he was on the ship right now. He thought if he could get back on it, he would never be bored again, and might not even need a vacation.

They ate in silence a few minutes, just glad that they were together for a while, and knew the other was still okay. "We have to figure out their guard routine," Jim said quietly.

"Since our guards are Klingons, I do not believe they are going to be caught slacking," Spock said.

"I didn't say anything about slacking. They must have a routine."

"I am not certain."

"Even Klingons must like to have a little fun sometimes."

"I think fun to them is dominating someone else," Bones said.

Jim looked at Spock. "Even Vulcans have fun sometimes, right?" he asked.

"Of course, Captain."

"Well, isn't it _logical_ that Klingons would have some sort of fun too? Even if it's fighting."

Spock considered that a moment. "Are you suggesting that we engage the Klingons in…combat?"

"Not exactly, Spock, but don't you think they would like a challenge?"

"Captain, we have only been here for part of this day. I believe it would be wise to take more time to assess the situation."

"You might be right." Jim was silent a moment. "You guys are like my brothers. I'm gonna get you out of here."

"We'll get out together," Bones said. He chuckled slightly. "Brothers. We must look like three of the oddest brothers there ever were."

"Hey, we fight with each other, and we defend each other, tolerate each other. Isn't that like brothers?"

"I have never had a brother," Spock said. "But I assume that the two of you would be the closest thing I have to such."

"I had one. Believe me, we fought."

"Yeah," Bones said. "You know my brother."

They were silent as they ate a few more minutes, and then one of the Klingon guards came after Jim. He looked at Spock and Bones. "Good luck," he said.

"Behave yourself," Bones replied.

Jim stood up and then picked up his restraint. He was taken back to his designated wall. He dropped the ball and it clanged on the rock floor. The Klingon glared at him as Jim looked at him defiantly. "Get to work," he said.

"Maybe I don't want to," Jim replied.

The Klingon stepped closer to him. "Never mind," Jim said. "You don't have to be so touchy." He picked up the pick ax and started working, although his hands were sorer than they were before. He was sure they could provoke a Klingon into a fight. Then again, he might simply kill him and put someone else in his place.

Bones hated being wet, but he supposed there was no way to avoid it when one was living on this world. He wondered where all that water went…or maybe it was just a constant evaporation and rain. He had been on some miserable worlds, but this one took the prize.

Zander soon arrived back at his place beside Jim. "Well, I suppose you know they aren't going to starve us to death," Zander said. "Only work us to death."

"Work never killed anyone, I don't think," Jim replied.

"Only makes you stronger? Some around here should be very strong by now then."

"What do the Klingons do for amusement?"

Zander smiled. "You already know, I think."

"Fights?"

"You would not want to be in one of these fights."

"I've fought with Klingons before."

"And you're still alive?"

Jim frowned. "Well, that's a long story." He could clearly remember that Klingon slamming his head into the ground and then that heavy foot on his neck. He had been only one trigger pull from being headless. "I wasn't alone."

"Ah. You might not be so lucky in one of these fights. They pit two prisoners against each other, and the winner fights a Klingon guard. There are no laws here except the ones they make."

"I suppose there are no rules to the fight either?"

"None."

"What would they do if one of us beat them?"

Zander stopped and looked at Jim. "No one ever has."

Jim shrugged slightly. "There's a first time for everything." He paused a moment. "What do they do with dead bodies?"

"I wouldn't know. What have you got going in that mind?"

Jim did not answer that question. He just went back to working. He could not know what his crew was planning, but he sure wanted to be ready to act when they put their plan in action.


	5. Chapter 5

It took two days for Carol Marcus and her mysterious passenger to get to Caleb IV. It was just a space station at the edge of Klingon space. It looked almost like a big wagon wheel, but inside it had plenty of entertainment for those who wanted to stop over. It always had the attention of the Klingons who watched it with interest, and had even attacked it a few times. However, the space station was equipped with powerful weapons.

Carol was wearing a dark blue flight suit as she disembarked from the ship, along with her passenger. "So, where are we meeting your friends?" he asked.

"They should be here very shortly, or may already be here," she replied.

"The Enterprise. I want to see this legendary ship."

 _It's only legendary because of its captain,_ Carol thought. She just hoped they could manage to get him out of that Klingon prison.

The Enterprise was almost to the space station now, and were requesting a dock. "Carol is waiting for us," Scotty said. "It'll be nice to see the little lady again."

"She might not like you calling her a little lady," Sulu replied.

"So I won't call her that to her face."

Sulu smiled. "We should be docked in about five minutes."

When the Enterprise was docked, Sulu, Scotty, Uhura, and Ensign McCoy were the only ones who left the ship. "Wow, that's some ship," the guy with Carol said.

"Hi," Carol said. "It's good to see you again."

"Who is this guy?" Sulu asked. "And why do you think he can get in there and rescue our captain?"

"I finally got him to tell me we can call him Mac," Carol said. "He's supposed to be the best."

Sulu and the others looked at Mac. He looked a bit slouchy, but they supposed it did not matter if he knew what he was doing. "So, how do you intend to get them out of this prison?" Sulu asked.

"I don't know yet," Mac replied. "I haven't seen the place."

"You haven't seen it? What does that have to do with anything? We told you about the place."

"That's not like seeing it. Seeing gives more details."

"How do we know we can trust you?"

"I thought you might ask that. I brought a data card with some of my past experience, and even have references you can contact. Right now, we need to find a pilot to take us there."

"Don't you think we'll need the Enterprise?"

"Maybe later, but we wouldn't want to get the Enterprise captured, would we?"

"We don't want to get anyone captured."

"Well, how do you expect me to find them if I don't get in?"

"Wait a minute," Scotty interrupted. "Are you saying that you're planning to get arrested?"

"Not exactly, but things can go wrong, you know."

Sulu looked at Carol. "Where did you find this guy?" he asked.

"Mister Sulu, just give him a chance," Carol said.

"We don't need to have to rescue anyone else from that prison."

"He won't have to be rescued. Trust me. He has a plan…sort of."

"I haven't heard any plan…except that he intends to find a pilot. We don't need a ship."

"You can't take the Enterprise into Klingon territory."

"She's right, you know," Uhura said. "The captain would never let the Federation be tangled up in something like this."

"They know he's with the Federation," Sulu reminded her. "I don't know how, but I get the feeling they knew exactly who Jim is."

"Yes, and they may be expecting us to come with the Enterprise so they can try and capture it."

"They could have fired on the Enterprise when they came to Badoran."

"I assume they want to get it into Klingon territory."

Sulu thought about that a moment. He thought that might be exactly what they wanted, and if it was, that was the last thing they were going to get. "So, we're going to the planet on another ship," he said.

"We?" Mac asked.

"You're not going without us."

Mac could see that Sulu meant what he said. "Fine then. I guess you can all enjoy yourselves while I find a pilot."

Mac walked away, and the others turned to each other. "He seems very reckless, if you ask me," Sulu said.

"He's the best," Carol replied. "I'm telling you. He even worked for my father before."

"Your father became a rogue Admiral. No offense intended."

"I know, but his intensions were…to stop what he had started."

"By killing all of us. If it hadn't been for Scotty being aboard that ship, we would all be dead."

"I realize that, but that was then, and this is now, and Mac had nothing to do with that incident. He had worked with my father on many admirable missions."

"She's right," Scotty said. "Let's go along with this plan."

Sulu looked at him. "There's a lot at risk here," he said. "We're responsible for this ship and this crew. This is a hard decision."

"The captain wouldn't have left you guys in charge if he didn't think you could make the right decisions," McCoy said. "He's probably expecting us to do something."

"I'm sure he is, but I'm not sure this would be what he would expect."

"There's nothing else we can do," Scotty said. "Now, let's get this plan into action by finding some weapons."

"Right. Let's go."

Sulu hoped they were making the right decision. He had to learn to trust the others, and Carol was one of those too. She had never given them any reason not to trust her.

Jim was being herded to his work area again. He had never been so sore in his life from working, and he was not sure how much more he was going to take. He was dirtier than he had ever been too. Between the mud, the rain, and the dust in the mine, he did not think his uniform was so yellow anymore.

He finally arrived at his place, and then turned to his guard. "Get to work," he said as usual.

Jim glared at him and then dropped the ball on his foot. The Klingon let out a yell as he fell backward. Jim threw the chain over a rock. "Zander!" he yelled.

Zander swung his pick ax and the chain broke in half with a bright spark. Jim took off running and Zander went after him. Of course, they were met by another Klingon guard who had a bat'leth. He swung it at Jim, and it clanged into the rock wall as Jim ducked. Then Zander landed his foot in the chest of the Klingon with a flying leap. He grabbed the bat'leth and would have decapitated the Klingon but Jim yelled, "NO!"

Zander looked at him. He wanted to kill the Klingon but he went with Jim. "We'll never get out of here if you're not willing to kill some of them."

"Not in cold blood!"

As they were running, an alarm began blaring. "Oh, they know we're loose," Zander said. "This way!"

Jim followed him as they went down a narrow passageway. They soon came to an exit and were out in the pouring rain. "How do we find my friends!" Jim asked.

"You can't find them!" Zander replied.

"I will not leave without them!"

"Then you won't leave here alive!"

"Tell me where they are!"

"I don't know! They could be anywhere in the mine!"

"They're wearing different colors. One is wearing blue and the other red! Now where are they?"

"You can't get them out! I'm telling you! We have to escape first and then you can do something to help them!"

"I can't leave them!"

"There are other entrances to the mine. If we find the right one, we can get them out one at a time, but they will figure out what you're doing, and they may kill the last one just to stop you!"

Jim stared at him. "Well, that's just a risk we'll have to take!" He was almost shivering with the rain.

"Let's move before they find us here!"

Bones heard the alarm sounding and he wondered what had happened. He hoped they would be taken back to their cots. His muscles were so sore, he thought he could not make it through this day but he knew the soreness would simply be worked out as the muscles grew. He thought maybe he would be buff by the time he got out of this place.

Just then, a Klingon guard came over to Bones looking very angry. Bones could not think of a thing he had done, but the Klingon grabbed him and took him back down the mine shaft, none too gently. He was surprised when he saw that Spock was being brought along too. They looked at each other as they realized what that alarm must have meant. Jim had finally taken all he was going to take.

Spock knew Jim would not just leave them there. He wished he would escape from the planet and then return for them if it was possible. Jim had already been talking about the fact that the crew would be trying to find a way to get them out. Spock figured Jim was going to try and make that easier.

They took Bones and Spock outside and over to another area of the place that they had not been to. Bones was alarmed when he saw where they were. It looked like a torture chamber. "Spock," he said.

"Remain calm, Doctor," Spock replied.

"I don't think I can do that." Bones had heard about how the Klingons tortured prisoners. The guard took him over to a torture rack, and would have put him on it, but Bones rammed his elbow into the guard's nose. He would not just stand and let someone put him on a torture rack.

Spock was surprised at Bones' actions, but he could definitely understand them. He grabbed his guard by the arm and twisted the arm and then did a Vulcan pinch on him. There were two other guards but they had stun weapons. Bones rolled behind one of the torture devices to keep from being stunned, and Spock did the same. They could hear the guards calling for more help. Spock could see Bones crawling for the door so he went after him. He did not think this was the way to escape but he would not let the doctor go alone because his chances alone were very minimal.

Bones got out the door and ran, and Spock was not far behind him. They ran to the end of that hallway and then suddenly the door opened and more Klingon guards came in. Bones looked to his left where there was a window. "This may be crazy, but…" He ran and jumped through the window. Spock was hoping that Bones was not injured, but he jumped through the broken window himself as stun bolts were taking up space he had just been in. He landed almost on top of Bones and they both got up and ran.

The rain was still coming down, and the ground was muddy. The biggest problem they had was that the building they were in now was cut off from running by the long building that housed the barracks. They ran anyway hoping that the end of that building would appear somewhere. They could hear the Klingons yelling behind them.

Bones was running out of sheer terror, and Spock was trying to keep up. They finally came to the end of the building they had been in and turned to their left. Once they got around that, they were going past the mine shaft. Spock thought the Klingons were awfully confident if they had no more guards than what they had seen. He supposed they thought their terrorizing of prisoners was enough to keep the others under control.

Bones and Spock made it past the mine shaft and headed out across unknown territory. They had no idea where they were going now and it was completely dark. They stopped when they got around a rocky outcropping. "I can't see a thing, Spock," Bones said as he was trying to get his breath.

"Neither can I, Doctor," Spock replied. "I suggest that we continue moving, however. They will find which way we have gone."

Bones nodded and they started moving again. The terrain of Rura Penthe was just like they would expect it to be…muddy. And they were soaked. They realized there was not much vegetation on this world. Bones supposed anything would have a hard time living in mud. They soon came to the point that their feet were sinking into mud. "I don't think we should keep going this way, Spock," Bones said.

"I agree," Spock replied. "We may be heading into a deeper bog."

Bones thought this was hopeless as they turned back long enough to get on somewhat solid ground. "Is there never any light on this planet?" he asked.

"I do not know," Spock answered. "I am yet to see any."

"How can it just rain all the time?"

"There are many things we do not know about this planet."

"Where can we go?"

"I do not know. I am certain that the alarm has something to do with the captain, but he will not know where we are either."

"I wasn't going to let them put me on that torture rack, Spock!" Bones declared.

"If we are captured now, we may face a worse threat."

Jim and Zander had found much the same problem as Bones and Spock. There was no light and they could not see where they were going. "I assume this prison and mine are the only things on this planet," Jim said.

"I wouldn't know," Zander said. "I've heard that there is another branch somewhere on the planet but I wouldn't want to try and find it. There's also a space port somewhere, but I don't know how to get to it."

Just then, they heard something that sounded like footsteps. "Someone's coming," Jim whispered.

They hid as best they could behind a rock wall. Jim did not think anyone could see them out there anyway even if they were standing right in front of them. Whoever was coming sounded like they were being cautious as they were coming around the edge of the outcropping. They waited and suddenly, they could faintly see two beings come around.

Jim attacked one of them and even in the dark, the other seemed to know right where he was. Just before he passed out, Jim realized whoever this was knew how to do a Vulcan pinch. Spock realized who he had pinched too late. "Doctor, stop!" he said.

Bones was surprised as he was fighting his opponent. "This is Jim!" Spock said as he was squatted beside Jim.

"Jim," Bones said. "Then who is this?"

"I'm Zander. You must be his friends."

"We are."

"I, too, am his friend."

Bones thought he should not be surprised that Jim would make a friend even in a prison. "What did you do to him, Spock?" he asked.

"I administered an upgraded version of the Vulcan pinch."

"What do you mean?"

"I…incapacitated him."

Bones could not believe what he just heard. "You did what!?" He shook Jim although he could not see him and felt for a pulse. "What have you done, Spock? He can't be dead!"

Zander was not sure what to say. "I'm glad I didn't tangle with you," he said. "Who are you?"

Bones suddenly grabbed Spock. "How could you kill him!? You barbarian!"

Just then, they heard someone coming, and then lights were shined on them. There were several Klingon guards and they all had weapons. "You will not move," one of them said. He looked at Jim lying on the ground. "What's with this one?"

Bones was still quite upset. "He's dead!" he exclaimed. He looked at Spock, unable to believe what just happened.

"How did he die?"

"He killed him," Bones said.

Bones could not believe Spock could be so calm about that after all they had been through with Jim. "How did you kill him?" the Klingon asked.

"I…used a Vulcan death grip."

"Bring him."

Spock got Jim up and over his shoulder. Bones glared at him. "I may kill you if we ever get out of this place," Bones declared.

Zander did not like the situation they were in. He wondered what the Klingons would do to them for trying to escape. He had gone along with that captain, and now he had been captured again, and the captain was dead.

The Klingons took them all back to the prison, but instead of taking them to the barracks or the mine, they took them to a prison cell and shoved them in. "We'll see how you make it on bread and water for a few days," the Klingon guard said.

Spock laid Jim down on the floor as there were no beds or anything in the room except some hay. Once he had lain him down, Bones shoved him. "I can't believe you killed Jim!" Bones exclaimed. He tried to hit Spock but he grabbed his arms. "What are you going to do? Kill me too?"

"Doctor, if you would calm down," Spock said.

"Calm?!" Bones tried to get out of Spock's grip. He finally stopped struggling.

"Doctor, the captain is not dead. I simply wanted to convince the Klingons that he is."

Bones stared at him in disbelief. "What?" he asked. "I felt of him. He is dead."

"No. He is not. He will be incapacitated for some time but he is very much alive."

Bones realized Spock was telling him the truth. He knelt beside Jim. "What did you do to him?" he asked quietly.

"I did not realize it was Jim when he attacked me," Spock said. "I simply performed a deep nerve pinch on him. At the time I thought he was an enemy."

"What will it do to him?"

"I am afraid he will have a very stiff neck and a very sore shoulder, but otherwise he will be fine."

"How's he supposed to get out of here like that?"

"Like I said, Doctor, I thought he was an enemy."

Bones nodded. "I'm sorry, Spock. I should have…but you could have!"

"Wasting time on what could have happened is not relevant, Doctor."

"Well, how do we wake him up?"

"I am not certain. It is likely that we will have to wait until he wakes up."

Bones just sat down on the floor beside Jim. Then he looked at Zander. "So who are you?" he asked.

"I am Zander. I helped your captain escape."

"I suppose you couldn't find anything but mud out there either."

"No. I don't think it's possible to get away from this place. That is why the Klingons chose it."

Bones shivered as he rubbed some of the water out of his hair. "I hate being wet," he said.

Spock sat down on the other side of Jim. He was relieved that he did not hurt Jim any worse. He had told Bones it was a waste of time to think of what could have happened, but he had certainly thought of it after he knew Jim was there. He was glad he had not broken his neck. He had allowed Bones to think he was dead so that it would seem more real. He was not certain yet how it would benefit them for the Klingons to think Jim was dead, but if it did not, they would simply attempt to revive him.

"Do you know anything about how the Klingons feel about life and death?" Spock asked. "What would they think if a person came back to life?"

Bones looked at him. "Are you planning to use your mistake to our advantage?" he asked.

"It is wise to turn mistakes to one's advantage if possible, Doctor. What do you think Jim would do?"

"You're thinking more like him every day. Ask yourself."

"When Jim awakens, I believe we should put on a very good show of being afraid."

"Especially you?"

"A Vulcan does not show fear, but I know that Jim will cooperate."

"You're a real devil when you want to be."

"Doctor, there is nothing evil about taking advantage of one's enemies."

"I guess you're right there."


	6. Chapter 6

Scotty and Sulu were standing in a warehouse on Caleb IV. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Sulu said. He was now dressed in a white t-shirt, faded jeans, and a leather jacket. "Couldn't we just find some legitimate weapons?"

"If we go to the Federation to get weapons, they're going to want to know what we want them for," Scotty said.

"Right. Could you just try not to get us shot?"

"Aye." Scotty had his hair slicked back and was wearing a business suit. "I kinda like this."

Sulu rolled his eyes and put shades on. He hoped no one recognized him in this get-up. "I just hope they have what we're looking for."

"Oh they will. They will have the transporters we need and the right kind of weapons."

Sulu looked at him wondering how Scotty knew all this. "If you say so."

Uhura was with Carol. "Where do you think your friend is?" Uhura asked.

"I don't know, but I'm sure he knows what he's doing," Carol replied. "And he's not my friend."

"Oh. Well, I see it didn't take much convincing to get you to help the captain."

Carol looked at her. "Wouldn't you help him?"

"Of course, but Spock is there too."

"You're in love with him, aren't you?"

"Yes." Uhura looked at her. "And I think you're in love with Captain Kirk."

Carol tried to look surprised. "I think love is a rather strong word," she said.

"You care for him."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Yes. I think he cares for you too. Why did you leave the Enterprise?"

"I don't really know."

"I'm sure he didn't ask you to leave."

"No. Actually, he asked me to marry him."

Uhura was very surprised by that revelation. She did not know if she was more surprised that Carol did not marry him or that Jim actually asked her. "And you said no?" she asked.

"Well, we're not married."

"I mean…I'm just surprised. If he asked you to marry him, he must have truly been in love with you." Uhura thought it was no wonder Jim felt lonely in space now. She knew she would never say no if Spock asked her.

"You think I'm crazy."

"No. You have a right to make up your own mind, but the captain has changed a lot in the last few years."

"I can tell. You always call him _captain._ Why do you never call him by his first name?"

"I don't think it would be appropriate. He's my captain, and I call him that out of respect." Uhura smiled. "Besides, we had a thing going about my first name a long time. He would never call me Nyota."

"Out of respect?"

"Yes."

Just then, Mac walked up with another guy who looked like he was even more arrogant than the first. "Ladies, this is our pilot, Solan. He has the perfect ship."

Uhura looked at Solan who was tall and looked just about as slouchy as Mac, but in a more prideful way. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a brown jacket over a blue shirt. He was also carrying a low-slung blaster on his side that was tied to his leg. Uhura knew that meant, he drew fast and asked questions later. "Hi, Ladies," he said with a crooked smile, and twinkling brown eyes. His brown hair was cropped short and he looked rather rugged to Uhura.

"So, why have you chosen this pilot?" Uhura asked.

"Well, he delivers supplies…and smuggles a few things," Mac said.

"Smuggles?"

"Yeah. Even to…Klingon prison worlds."

Uhura's surprise was evident on her face. "Nice work. So when is his next delivery? And how do we know we can trust him?"

"He has no love for the Klingons," Mac said. "He only does business with them. And his next delivery is in two days."

"Two days?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe that will give Scotty and Sulu enough time to get the weapons we need."

"I'm sure it will."

That evening, Scotty and Sulu met up with Uhura and Carol, along with Mac and Solan. They met at a bar on the space station, making sure to keep their meeting secret. "We found the weapons we need," Scotty said.

"We have the pilot we need too," Carol replied. "He'll have a legitimate reason for being on the prison world."

"Really? That's great work."

"So our plan is that he will be delivering more than the Klingons know about?" Sulu asked.

"What better plan can you have than that?" Scotty asked.

"As long as no one knows we're with Starfleet. There's still the problem of getting in and getting out. I'm sure the Klingons will be watching."

"Not necessarily," Solan said. "You see when I deliver my goods to them, we also, uh, have a little recreation…cards. I can keep them busy for hours."

"You play cards with the Klingons? What do you do? Let them win?"

"No. You'd be surprised at how sportsmanlike they can be."

"How did you get into this?"

"Lowlifes get along with lowlifes. Besides, they're running a prison. They hardly ever see anyone."

"So they just fell in with you."

"Something like that."

Sulu sat there a moment thinking. "You think maybe we can get in and out without firing a shot?" he asked.

Solan considered that. "It's possible," he said. "But even if they're occupied, they will still be very alert, and they do have some prisoners who would sound an alarm."

"Why?"

"To get more privileges. They've been there so long they don't see how they will ever get out so they try to make it as good for themselves as possible."

"Do you think they're all guilty of something?"

"Maybe of wandering into Klingon space. Some might be real criminals. Others are most likely just someone who offended the Klingons, and they're using them to mine their dilithium."

"I don't see why no one has done anything about this prison."

"The Federation stays clear of the Klingons. They don't want to start a war."

"Sometimes wars can't be avoided. It's inevitable. There have been a lot of wars fought through history. What if they had never been fought? What if no one had fought for what they believed in?"

Uhura was surprised to hear this coming from Sulu, but she knew he was right. If no one had ever fought…they might have never even reached space. "It's not up to us to start the war," she said. "And it's not up to us to do anything about this prison. We're only going to find our captain and crewmates."

"Uhura, I don't think you should go on this mission. I've already told you. If you were captured…"

"He's right, you know," Solan agreed. "A pretty thing like you wouldn't have a chance in that place, and they would definitely notice a woman in there."

Carol nodded. "It's a men's prison," she said.

"I don't think the Klingons take women as prisoners like that."

"Surely, there have been women who wandered into Klingon territory," Uhura said. "What do they do with them?"

"I guess women are just smart enough to stay out of there," Solan said.

Sulu shook his head. "Can we get back to the subject?" he asked. "Where will you be landing? Do they have a space port?"

"They do. It's about sixteen kilometers from the prison and mine area. I guess they didn't want it to be easy for a prisoner to find their way to the spaceport. There are bogs on that planet, and you can be swallowed up and never seen again. It rains all the time, and on the occasion that the sun might show for an hour or two, it's so humid, it's hard to breathe. You have to have a transport to get across it."

"Then how are we supposed to get to the prison?" Sulu asked.

"Like I said…I am known to fraternize with the Klingons."

"You know, I think Captain Kirk is really going to like you."

Carol smiled. She was glad that Sulu was finally starting to think it was a good plan. She hated the fact that she could not go in with them. She just wanted to see that Jim was well.

The next morning, Jim started to move a little. He grimaced as he tried to move his head and right arm. He groaned as he sat up, and Bones was right beside him, and Spock was on the other side. He realized they were in a prison cell. "What happened?" he asked. He grimaced as he held his right arm.

"Jim, just go along with us," Spock whispered and then he and Bones jumped up and moved across the prison cell.

"He's come back to life!" Bones yelled.

Jim just stared at them a moment, but he knew them well enough to know what they were doing. He just wished they had helped him up before they went into panic mode. He finally got to his feet and stumbled backward into the wall. "You killed me!" he yelled and pointed at Spock with his left arm since he could not seem to lift his right. "I'll kill you now that I'm…immortal!"

Bones took a rock and hit the prison bars. "Hey, get us out of here!" he yelled. "He's alive!"

Just then, a Klingon guard came into the prison area. "Get quiet in here!" he demanded.

"He's come back to life!"

The Klingon looked toward the other side of the prison cell and saw Jim standing up. "How has he come back to life?" he asked.

"We don't know!" Bones said. "He wants to kill Spock for…killing him!"

"I do not care if he kills all of you."

"After I'm done with them, I'm going to come after you too!" Jim declared. "I don't like being a ghost!"

Bones was trying hard to keep a straight face. The Klingon just left the cell block and slammed the other door shut. Bones frowned. "I thought surely the Klingons would be alarmed if someone came back to life," he said.

"I don't think anything alarms the Klingons," Jim replied. He looked at Spock. "What happened? What did you do to me?"

"I am sorry, Jim," Spock said. "I did not realize it was you until I had already applied the pinch."

"This does not feel like a Vulcan pinch."

"Oh, he said it was the upgraded version," Bones said. "He didn't intend for our attackers to wake up any time soon."

"I can't move my arm," Jim said.

"Maybe I can help you with that."

"How?"

"Well, just relax."

"Oh, why do I get the feeling this is going to hurt?" Jim asked.

"Probably because it is," Bones replied.

Jim lay down on the hay there in the cell, as directed by Bones. "Doctor, you must be careful," Spock said. "You could permanently damage his nerve."

"Oh, let's not do that," Jim said. He was getting a little nervous about this.

"Spock, I'm the doctor here," Bones declared. "I'm just trying to undo your damage."

"Doctor, I have not permanently damaged him. If I had, he would not be conscious at this moment."

"Couldn't you have just done your normal pinch? It would have done the trick."

"I did not want our adversary to wake up for quite some time."

"You guys, do you have to argue about this now?" Jim asked. "I'm in pain here."

Zander came over to them. "What can you do to help him?" he asked.

"Well, it's kinda complicated," Bones replied. "You guys might ought to hold him down. This isn't going to feel good."

"Bones, how long would it take this to work itself out?" Jim asked as Spock was kneeling beside him.

"Too long," Bones answered.

Jim thought they probably heard his scream all the way to the mine. He gasped for air for a moment, and then he realized his arm and neck were not hurting anymore, but they did not feel just right.

"You probably need that in a sling," Bones said. "At least for a day or two."

"At least it's not hurting," Jim replied.

They got Jim up and he looked around them. "So what kind of trouble are we in now?" he asked trying to move his stiff arm and neck.

"Bread and water for a few days," Bones said. "I'm surprised they didn't kill us…or torture us."

"It is clear that they want to keep their mine workers," Spock said. "Otherwise, they would have killed us all…or like you say, tortured us until we would not be able to work."

"Well, let's don't get too comfortable," Jim said. "I suppose you two have met Zander now."

"Yes, Captain. He is fortunate that he was not harmed in our confrontation as well."

"It was dark out there. How could you know who we were? Don't worry about it, Spock." He moved his shoulder, and it still felt incredibly stiff. "I just wish I had gotten out of your way."

"Without a sling, that could just start hurting again," Bones said. "Keep that arm still."

"I suppose there's no way out of here. We just have to wait and see what happens."

"At least we're together."

They all sat down on the hay. "They could at least give us a cot to sleep on," Bones said. He rubbed his arm. "My muscles are so sore, I'm glad I won't have to swing that ax for a while."

Jim showed them his blistered hands, although the blisters were not very visible because of all the mud and dirt. "I haven't been this dirty since I was a kid and played in the mud," he said.

"Me neither," Bones replied. "I feel like I have mud from head to toe."

"My mom used to say I was covered from head to toe. I remember when it would rain, there was this big hole…or indentation in the ground. No matter how many times you filled it up, it would just come right back. It would fill up with the muddiest water when it rained." Jim lay back on the hay. "If I got half a chance, I would just jump into it."

"You and I would have had a lot of fun when we were kids. I was always running through the corn fields if I wasn't in the mud."

"Corn fields…endless."

"Yeah. I probably made mazes through it by accident."

"You couldn't run all the way to the other end. Did you ever get lost?"

"More than once."

"We did not grow such things on Vulcan," Spock said. "I do remember the time that I wandered away and my mother was frantic when they found me. I did not consider myself lost, but I was simply exploring."

"We grew a food called bakrak," Zander said. "It was all of eight feet tall. If you got out into that too far, you might never find your way back."

"What planet are you from?" Jim asked.

"Earth Colony Two. I wasn't born there, but I grew up there part of the time. It was a nice place. Sure better than here. If I never see this place again, it will be too soon."

"There may be real criminals on this world. There's no way we can free them all. We wouldn't know one from the other."

"I'll tell you something, Captain, I don't believe there are any real criminals here except ones that the Klingons deemed as criminals. How can you not help them?"

"He's most likely right, Jim," Bones said. "People stuck here because they happened into Klingon territory and got captured by them."

Jim thought about that as he lay there. He could not imagine what sort of atrocities must have taken place on this world, and no one did anything about it. He definitely knew what it was like to be stuck somewhere and had nowhere to go and no one to help him get out. He had felt like that every time his mother left him with his stepdad. He had made Nero pay for that…killing his father. He remembered when Nero was choking him, bragging about it. He did not even know where his brother was now. He wondered if he even knew he was the captain of a starship.

"So they said we won't get anything but bread and water, huh?" Jim asked.

"That's what they said," Bones replied. "I don't know how many days that will last."

"At least there's light in here. I'm so tired of being in the dark."

"It is hard to believe that the Klingons are going to let us stay in here without being harassed or interrogated," Spock said. "I believe it is unusual for them to have such a casual reaction to our trying to escape."

"What are you getting at, Spock?" Bones asked. "Are you wishing they would come and drag us off to their torture chamber?"

"No, Doctor. I believe they must be preparing for something else."

"Like what?"

"I have no way of knowing."

"Well, if that's the case, then they will probably get back to us after they finish whatever is happening," Jim said.

They soon heard someone coming, and it was their bread and water for the day. Bones walked over to the door of the prison. "Step back!" the Klingon guard said.

Bones stepped back as he was told and the Klingon put the tray through a small door in the cell door. He wondered what he thought he was going to do. "Enjoy it," the Klingon said. "It will be your only meal today. And don't get too comfortable."

Jim and the others just stared at the plate with four pieces of bread on it, and four cups of water. "Well, it's better than nothing," Jim said. He took his piece of bread and his cup and sat down. "I guess we better eat it slow."

"I agree," Spock replied.

Bones took a bite of the bread. "It's hard to believe the Klingons can cook so well for other beings," he said.

"It is logical that they would have a cook to prepare for everyone."

"Why would they care so much?"

"As I stated before, Doctor. They know that a healthy worker can produce more than a sick one."

"He's right," Jim agreed. "Their seeming to care for their prisoners is only for their own benefit." He touched his side as he was starting to feel that broken rib again now that his shoulder and neck were not hurting.

"What do you suppose the crew is doing, Captain?"

"I wish I knew, Spock. I wish I knew."


	7. Chapter 7

The next day, Sulu and Scotty boarded the ship with Solan and Mac. "Please be careful," Uhura said.

"We will," Sulu replied. "And we'll contact you on the Enterprise whenever we can."

"We'll be waiting."

Sulu walked on up the ramp behind Scotty. "What are the Klingons going to say about you bringing Mac along?" Sulu asked as he and Scotty sat down in the passenger seats behind the pilot seats.

"They won't know he's there either," Solan replied. "He's going with you guys when you go after your friends."

"So, how will we get to the prison?"

"Don't worry. I'll distract the Klingons and you can steal a transport. You certainly can't walk ten miles across that mud ball."

"Are you sure you can distract all of them? That seems a little overconfident."

"Oh, don't worry. I brought along some stuff that they can't resist. Chech'tluth."

Scotty's mouth dropped open. "So we're gonna have a bunch of drunken Klingons on our hands?" he asked.

"Nah. They might never even know you were there until they discover that your friends are gone. The trouble is finding them."

"Do you know anything about the inside of the prison?" Sulu asked.

"I know that the barracks, if that's what you want to call it, are in one long, low building, and all they have is a cot each to sleep on. When I come there, they usually don't have any of the prisoners in the mine. They don't want to watch after them so they can enjoy the liquor and the cards. They'll be locked up tight in the barracks. I'm sure the prisoners won't mind that. They get at least two days off while the Klingons play."

Sulu scowled at that. He hoped this guy knew what he was talking about. He looked at Mac. "So, what are you here for?" he asked.

"I'm here to help you," Mac replied. "Besides that, my brother is in there."

"Your brother?"

"Yeah. I intend to get him out of there too, and anyone else I can rescue."

"We never said anything about getting anyone else out besides our captain and our crewmen."

"Well, you get your captain and your crewmen, and I'm going to get my brother."

Sulu looked at Scotty. "This could create problems," he said.

"If my brother was in there, I would want to get him out too," Scotty replied. "Wouldn't you?"

"Of course, but we can't free the whole place. We already talked about that."

"One more isn't going to hurt."

"I'm just wondering how we're going to get in and out of that place without incident. What about the other prisoners?"

"Are you having second thoughts about our plan?"

"Scotty, all the prisoners are kept in the same building. How can we go in and get a few out and nothing happens?"

"Don't start worrying now," Mac said. "We can handle this."

"I hope you're right or we could end up prisoners ourselves."

"How do you guys ever get anywhere being so cautious?"

"Caution is a necessity when you're responsible for a ship full of people."

"Well, I've been in this prison before with Solan there. I know where I'm going so relax."

"You didn't say you had been in the prison before."

"You didn't ask."

Sulu shook his head. "I suppose we have to trust you now," he said. "We don't have much choice."

"I think everything is going to go fine," Scotty said. "Let's try to have a little faith, Mister Sulu."

"I'm trying. I just can't believe the Klingons can be so distracted."

Solan looked at him. "They can," he said. "I've done it before. How do you think Mac got in? He familiarized himself with the place. The Klingons never knew he was there. Besides, they have a fight as well. They take two prisoners and pit them against each other for their entertainment after they get good and liquored up."

"Two prisoners?" Sulu asked. He hoped they did not choose the captain or anyone.

"Yeah. Whichever one wins gets to fight one of the Klingons."

"That's got to be an unfair fight."

"Oh, they wait till the next day. That's why the prisoners get days off. They even get to watch the fights."

"If they choose the captain to fight…you should have told us all this before."

"They can choose anyone. Your captain would not be a likely candidate. They will probably choose people who have been there a long time. They're tough and don't care to kill."

Sulu frowned. "I hope you're right."

Scotty thought he was starting to get a little nervous about this mission now. He knew what Mister Sulu was thinking about. It would not be as easy as Mac and Solan seemed to want to make it. Besides that, they did not really know the two. Maybe they were risk takers. What if they even intended to hand them over to the Klingons? No. He was sure that was not the case. Maybe they did know what they were talking about, but they had to be cautious. There was a ship full of people expecting them to return with their captain, their doctor, and their first officer.

Jim paced back and forth in the prison. "Jim, you should sit down," Bones said. "Save your strength. You don't get much to eat."

Jim sat down on the hay. "I hate being locked up in here," he said.

"After more than three years in space, it seems very small."

"Three years?" Zander asked. "You guys have been in space more than three years?"

"Yeah, a five year mission," Jim said.

"Just exploring space, huh? And you explored to the wrong place."

"Definitely. We didn't think they had any technology. There was nothing picked up on the scanners. They knew we were there though."

"Strange, isn't it?"

"I'm of a great mind to go back to that planet and find out how they knew we were there. We won't go unprepared this time."

"You figured out who that woman is yet?" Bones asked.

"No."

"Badoran, right?" Zander asked.

"Yes. Queen Marilla."

"Never heard of her. I have heard of Badoran though. A bunch of telepaths."

"Except her, and many of her guards. I don't know how she has become the queen of that place. She has no telepathic powers."

"That's strange. Why would they make her their queen?"

"It is likely that she convinced them that she has some sort of magic powers," Spock said. "Although she is not a telepath, she most likely arrived there on a star ship or some other miraculous way that they had never seen. She must have her technology hidden so that it is not detectable by star ships but she is aware when one comes near the planet. She most likely knew that we beamed down to the planet."

"Maybe she somehow found out the name of the ship and she knew who the captain was," Bones said. "But how could she hide technology like that? If she could detect us, it looks like we could detect it."

"Not if it's cloaked in some way," Jim said. "Remember, she had the Klingons there pretty fast to arrest us."

"They aren't far from Klingon space."

"What could she have to do with the Klingons?"

"Too many questions, Jim. I never thought anyone could be in league with the Klingons, but I guess I was wrong."

"I didn't think the Klingons would be accepting of anyone else."

"They're intelligent," Zander said. "They are certainly capable of learning. Maybe they're learning that they can't just stay all to themselves anymore."

"That might be a good thing."

Jim went over to the door of the prison cell and looked at the lock. "We could probably pick this lock if we had something metal," he said.

Spock came over and looked at the lock. "I think they have made sure we have nothing that would work to pick a lock," he said.

"I wish I could get this shackle cuff off my ankle. I hate dragging that chain around."

"How did you break the chain anyway?"

"Zander chopped it with his pick ax."

"It is good to make friends."

Just then, they heard someone coming. Jim and Spock moved away from the door of the cell as three Klingon guards came in. Jim thought the Klingons did not need anything else besides their look to terrorize someone, with those stark blue eyes and ridged head…plus, they were very tall.

The three Klingons came into the cell. One of them grabbed Jim while the other two held weapons on Spock and the others. He threw Jim to the floor. Jim could do nothing as the Klingon put his knee down into his back and attached a ball and chain to both of his ankles. "You will remain here for three days, and it will be even longer if you try anything else!" the Klingon said. He drew out a long, curved knife. "I would kill you where you stand."

Jim swallowed hard as he did not dare move. "You are afraid," the Klingon said with a sneer.

Jim tried not to let his fear show, but he thought he was doing a lousy job. "You must have a little fear yourself," he said. "You're so afraid I will escape, you keep me on a ball and chain…and now it's two. What are _you_ afraid of?"

Bones could not believe Jim was talking to the Klingon like that. "Jim!" he said in almost a whisper, but one of the other Klingons took a step toward him.

The Klingon grabbed Jim by the jaw and shoved him against the wall. He figured he was showing plenty of fear now as the Klingon held that big blade up in front of his face.

Another Klingon came into the prison. "Do not kill him," he said. He was even taller than the others. "If he thinks he is so brave and so skilled, he will be an opponent."

"An opponent in what?" Bones asked.

"You will see."

The one holding Jim glared at him and then released him. The Klingons left the prison block then. Jim just stood there a moment trying to calm his nerves down. Bones and Spock looked at Zander. "What kind of opponent is he talking about?" Bones asked. "You must know!"

"The Klingons take two prisoners and make them fight in a cage," Zander said. "The winner fights a Klingon champion the next day."

"They can't make him fight anyone! He even has a broken rib."

"They don't care."

"Have you ever had to fight?"

"No. If I had, I would not be here if I did not win both fights."

Bones looked at Spock. "What are we going to do?" he asked.

"I am certain I do not know, Doctor," Spock replied.

They walked over to Jim who had sat down now. "I have a really big mouth," he said.

"You sure do," Bones agreed. "What are you gonna do?"

Jim looked at the balls and chains now attached to his ankles. "I don't see any choice I have but to fight."

"Unless we attack them when they come to get you," Zander said. "If we're ready for them when they come, we can defeat them."

The others just looked at him. "And how can we do that?" Spock asked.

Jim smiled slightly. "The way we always do," he said. "By pure grit."

"We have to have some sort of distraction so that they will all come into the cell," Zander said. "They know we don't have any weapons so they won't be afraid to come in. We'll have to take them by surprise some way."

"How long do you think it will be before they come after me?"

"Could be sometime today, or it could be tomorrow. We need to make up our plan now so we will all know what to do."

Bones shook his head. "If I get out of this alive, I don't think I'm ever going on another away mission," he said.

"Aw, come on, Bones," Jim said. "Just think of all the fun you would miss."

"Fun, my eye. More like, are we gonna die today or tomorrow? And how excruciating will it be?"

They all sat down around Jim. "What are we going to do when we escape?" Jim asked. "We already tried to escape once and there's no way out of here."

"Yes there is," Zander said. "About ten miles from this prison, there's a spaceport. There's a ship that comes and delivers stuff. That's probably what they're expecting. There's always two or three days that they leave the prisoners alone, there's no mining, and they have a big party. After that, they're more brutal than ever…but it's no picnic in those barracks when everyone is locked up in there."

"How do we get to the spaceport?" Jim asked.

"You have to know the way. I don't know it."

"Ten miles, huh?"

"Yeah, and raining the whole way."

"Why would anyone want to do anything on this planet?" Bones asked.

"Because it's rich in dilithium," Zander said.

"How do the Klingons get from here to there?" Spock asked. "They must have a way."

"They do. I'm sure they have transports hidden somewhere."

"Then the thing we have to do is find them," Jim said. "They have to be hidden somewhere out of that rain and mud."

"Perhaps they are hidden somewhere in the building where we eat," Spock said. "It is the place that the prisoners visit the least."

"So how do we find out? We sure can't get a Klingon on our side." Jim remembered the old Klingon who was imprisoned with him. "There was an old Klingon in the prison where I was. He tried to help me once. I didn't see him anymore after that day. Zander was there after that."

"I didn't see him," Zander said. "If he tried to help you, he may be dead now."

"If we can't escape, what will they do if I win both fights?"

"Jim, you can't fight that Klingon!" Bones declared.

"It wouldn't be the first time I fought a Klingon, Bones."

"Yeah, and you remember the condition you were in when you got back to the ship too."

"I never intended to get in a fight with those Klingons that time. That just happened. I'll be expecting it this time."

"If our past encounters with the Klingons are any indication, it is that they are always able to perform the unexpected," Spock said. "We cannot presume that you would be able to survive in a fight with a Klingon."

"If we can't escape, I'll have to."

"If we attempt to escape and fail, one or more of us may be dead."

"We have to pay attention to what's going on around us. There's going to be some time that they take a transport to go over to the spaceport. Maybe we'll be able to see it from here. That would tell us where the hangar is."

"Still, we must make our escape plan."

"That's just what we're about to do."

"It's time for you guys to get in the back," Solan said as the ship was approaching the Klingon center. "Get into the storage compartment and they won't be able to detect you if they do a scan."

Mac, Sulu, and Scotty hurried to the back of the ship and climbed down into a storage compartment. Mac closed the top and they crouched down in the bottom of the storage compartment. All they could do now was wait.

Solan came out of warp in the Klingon system and soon met up with three warbirds. He was not surprised when a Klingon appeared on the viewscreen. "Well, hello, Trog," he said.

"Solan, you old scoundrel," Trog replied. "What have you brought us today?"

"Something you're going to love…Chech'tluth."

The Klingon rared back with a hearty laugh. "You know where to land."

"I'll be down to that old ball of mud momentarily."

The transmission ended. Solan knew he was not exaggerating when he called it a ball of mud. He did not like being on Rura Penthe, but this time there was more purpose. He supposed this would be his last time there since the Klingons were not likely to forgive him for bringing stowaways to this prison world to break prisoners out. He was sure it would be known too.

Soon, Solan entered the atmosphere of Rura Penthe. It was like it always was when he finally broke through the thick clouds… rain. He was glad the viewports had automatic cleaners. He could see the lights of the spaceport below even through the rain and darkness. There was no turning back now.


	8. Chapter 8

Jim was looking out the window of the prison cell. Of course, there were bars on the window. Mostly all he could see was dark, and rain. However, he noticed a light in the clouds in the distance, and he knew as it descended that it had to be a ship coming down to this miserable planet. He did not see the ship because of the terrain of the planet, but it had to be a ship.

"Hey," Jim said. "I just saw something." He looked around at the others who were lying down. "Hey!"

Spock sat up. "Captain?"

"I saw…a ship. It had to be a ship. Nothing else would have come down through the clouds like that."

Spock looked out the window. "That must be the direction of the spaceport then," he said.

"Has to be. I haven't seen anything else."

Just then, they saw a ship rising from the compound they were in and head for the spaceport, and then another. "They must be going over there to meet whoever was arriving," Jim said. He looked at Spock. "You think they're going to just leave us all here for three days?"

"I am not certain, Captain, but…"

Just then they heard the door of the prison. Jim and Spock picked up the two metallic balls and they moved back to the hay to lie down. "They're coming," Jim whispered.

"We hear them," Bones replied.

They all lay still as though they were asleep. They heard the Klingons' heavy footsteps as they came over to the cell door, and then unlocked it. "Get up!" one of them said.

Jim and the others did not move a muscle. "I said get up!" the Klingon yelled as he kicked the side of Zander's leg.

Zander did his best not to react to the sudden pain in his leg, and pretended to only roll over unconscious. The Klingons were slightly puzzled at this turn of events. "It could be a trick," one of them said.

"It must be," another replied. He grabbed Jim by the collars and started to jerk him up, but while he was bent over him, Jim suddenly kicked him backward.

The Klingon fell backward, and the others were startled. Spock and the other three suddenly came to their feet. Spock grabbed the weapon in the hand of the Klingon and twisted his arm. Then he grabbed his shoulder in a Vulcan pinch. Even the Klingon could not resist the Vulcan pinch.

Spock turned the weapon on the Klingon that was now working Jim over and fired. Then he fired at the other two. Bones bent forward trying to catch his breath. "I have to tell you, I don't like fighting!" he said.

They got over to Jim who had had a disadvantage in the fight since his feet were still attached to the balls and chains. "Jim, are you hurt badly?" Spock asked.

"Get these things off my ankles!" Jim said.

Spock nodded. He searched the Klingons and found a ring of keys. He searched until he found the right one to get the cuffs off Jim's ankles. When they were off, Jim stood up and they searched the Klingons to make sure they did not have any other keys. Then they got out of the prison cell and locked the door.

The others followed Jim down the hallway. They had weapons now as they had disarmed the Klingons and had taken every weapon they had. They also brought the keys with them. They finally came to an exit and went outside. Jim thought that rain was colder now. "This way!" he said as he turned to go the way he had seen the transport ships head out for the spaceport. He figured these Klingons had come to take him to the fight. He could not think of another reason that they would have come in there like that.

Solan had landed at the spaceport, much to the delight of those who waited for him. He grabbed a case of the Klingon Chech'tluth. It was one of their favorite drinks, and he knew it would definitely distract them from anything else that was going on.

Solan soon had the Klingons away from the ship. Sulu listened intently, but he heard nothing. "I guess they're gone," he whispered.

"Let's hope," Mac replied.

They opened the storage compartment and looked out, but there was no one in sight. Solan had turned the lights out inside the ship except the running lights. Sulu, Scotty, and Mac looked out of the ship. There was definitely no one guarding the ship so they made their way quietly down the ramp. They could see Klingons in the hangar, but they were all occupied.

Sulu pointed that they should go around behind the ship away from the Klingons so they headed that way and found a place to hide. "Where do we get the transport?" Sulu whispered.

"Right through there," Mac answered and pointed to a door on the other side of the hangar.

"You gotta be kidding."

"No. We'll just have to wait for our chance. They'll all clear out of here as soon as the last transport arrives."

"When will that be?"

"I don't know, but we wait."

Jim and the others were on their way to the hangar where the transports were kept. They were soaked already. "Does it ever stop raining on this planet?" Jim asked.

"Once in a while," Zander answered. "You don't want to be here when that sun shines."

"Can't be worse than this."

"You would think."

As they came close to the hangar, they could see that there were lights on inside. "You think most of them have already gone to the spaceport?" Jim asked as he wiped some of the rain off his face.

"Only one way to find out," Zander said.

"We must be cautious," Spock said. "If we are captured now, we may be in for far worse trouble than a fight."

"He's right," Bones agreed. "They're liable to either just shoot us, or they'll torture us to death."

"Most likely the latter, Doctor."

"We're going to be cautious," Jim said.

They made it to the door of the hangar. Jim looked in the window and could definitely see that there were a few Klingons in there. He thought they looked like they were waiting for something, and he just figured he knew what they were waiting on. "I don't think they're going to be leaving any time soon," he said.

"Doesn't look like it," Bones replied. "I'll just bet they're waiting for them to bring you."

"Probably."

"What do we do now? How do we get to the ship?"

Jim was trying to think of a way. "Maybe there's another entrance closer to the ship," he said. "Let's go this way."

They ran around the side of the building and there was another entrance. They were now behind the ship, and the Klingons were mostly looking the other way, but Jim knew if they opened that door, the Klingons would hear it. He was sure that door would squeak. He had not found one on this planet yet that did not squeak. Not only that, but they would definitely hear the rain if they opened that door, but they really did not have a choice.

"When we open this door, we have to be ready," Jim said as he made sure his blaster was ready. He even had a bat'leth. It was heavy, but he knew it was deadly if one knew how to make contact with another person.

When they were all ready, Jim opened the door, and they went through the door as quickly as possible. Suddenly, they were faced with about ten angry Klingons. Blaster bolts started flying.

Jim ran to his left and Spock and Bones followed him. They fired back at the Klingons. One of the Klingons yelled something at the rest in Klingon. One of the others ran into what looked like a communications office.

"He could be calling for more," Jim said. "We have to do something now!"

"Jim, our options are limited," Spock said. "We are severely outnumbered."

Jim ran for another place of cover and fired at the Klingons as he went. Bones and Spock also fired. "Doctor, you should have your blaster on kill, not stun," Spock said.

"I can't kill anyone, Spock," Bones declared.

Spock stood up to fire again, and Bones did the same, but a stun bolt hit Bones, and he crashed to the floor. Spock fired at the one who had hit Bones. He would have to stay where he was now, and they had even one less on their side.

Jim ran for another place so that he could get a better shot at the Klingons. Two Klingons were coming at him. He shot one of them, but the other tackled him. Jim landed hard on his back and he struggled with his opponent who had already wrestled the blaster from his hand. He got his feet up enough to kick the Klingon off, and then they both stood up.

The Klingon had a bat'leth. Jim knew he had one too but he was not certain he wanted to get into a battle with those, but he did not have much choice as the Klingon came at him. Jim grabbed the bat'leth out of the holster he carried and the blades clanged together as he and the Klingon met.

The Klingon glared at him as they parted. "You will not beat me in a battle with the bat'leth," he said.

"We'll see," Jim replied defiantly.

Spock could see Jim dueling with the Klingon. He knew how brutal a Klingon could be with a bat'leth. That weapon could slice Jim open and he would not be repairable. However, he knew Jim's determination, and he could not leave Bones at the moment. He was totally unconscious. Spock looked to see that Zander was also giving the Klingons a battle. He had no time to dwell on what the others were doing, however, because they were closing in on him and the doctor.

Scotty, Sulu, and Mac were still waiting for their opportunity to grab a transport. "They're still waiting for something," Sulu said.

Just then, a Klingon came from the communications office and they could tell by the reaction of the others that there was something happening. The leader of the rest talked to them in Klingon. Several of the Klingons began boarding the ship. "You guys stay here," Mac whispered. As he got a chance, he hurried over to the ship and sneaked in just as the ramp was closing.

Sulu and Scotty looked at each other. "Well, that guy doesn't know how to work on a team," Scotty said.

"If he gets caught, they're liable to suspect Solan of bringing him here," Sulu replied. "And then we will seriously be in trouble. We can't even contact the Enterprise for help."

"We'll take Solan's ship. It won't be that hard to do."

"It would be hard to get past the Klingons when they decide to bring out all those warbirds. And if we have to escape ourselves, we're not going to have much luck at finding the captain and the others."

"Let's just give Mac a chance. Maybe he can find them."

"I hope."

Jim had barely gotten out of his duel with the Klingon without being sliced open. He had gotten a cut on his arm and one across his abdomen. He had given the Klingon a cut or two as well. However, he had lost his bat'leth and was cornered, but the Klingon did not kill him.

"You will not escape again," the Klingon said. "And neither will your comrades." He motioned for the other Klingons to take Jim. "Put him in the transport, and the others as well. He will be one of the opponents. Put him in neck shackles."

They roughly herded Jim up the ramp of the transport. They threw him down into the floor and fixed a shackle around his neck which was attached to one of those metallic balls. "You will not escape again," one of the Klingons said.

They shackled Jim's hands and feet and then shoved him into a corner. One Klingon stayed to watch him. Jim knew he could not get away this time. He was sure they would not mind pulling that chain and choking the life out of him. He wished he could have gotten the others out of this place, but he had failed, and they had not brought them into the same ship with him.

Another ship soon arrived and Spock, Bones, and Zander were taken into it. They were also fitted with shackles. Bones was not fully awake yet but he knew what was happening. "We failed again," he said to Spock. "I wonder if they'll kill us."

"I presume that if they were going to kill us, they would have already," Spock said.

"I wonder why they didn't," Zander said. "What are they keeping us for?"

"They are either very desperate for workers in their mine, or they are keeping us for some other reason."

"They like to keep their workers. They don't want to work in that mine themselves."

"Where are they taking us now?"

"I assume they're taking us to the spaceport to keep an eye on us while they have their fun rather than leaving us at the compound."

"What about the other prisoners?"

"They're locked in the barracks. You better be glad you're not locked in there. You would be glad to see your Klingon guard."

They were soon airborn, and on their way, they supposed, to the spaceport. The Klingons had left them in the room alone. While they were sitting there, a panel slid back from a compartment in the ship and a man neither of them had ever seen emerged.

Mac put his finger to his lips for them to be quiet. From what he had heard the others say about them, he knew this had to be Spock…and the doctor. He looked at Zander. "Well, Brother, have you learned not to wander into Klingon space?" he asked.

"I don't know," Zander answered. "If I feel like going through it, I might do it anyway. What are you doing here?"

"What do you think?"

"I assume the two of you know each other," Spock said.

"He's my brother," Zander replied.

"I'm here with some others to rescue you guys, and I told them I was getting my brother out of here too."

"Others?" Spock said.

"Yes, a Mister Sulu and Scotty."

"They are here on this planet?"

"Yes. We're getting you guys out of here as quietly as we can."

"They have taken the captain on another ship."

"Yeah. Solan brought us here on his ship, and he's going to entertain the Klingons while we get you guys out. They think you'll all be stuck when they get you to the spaceport. Won't they be surprised?"

"I believe they intend to use Captain Kirk for their entertainment. How can we rescue him?"

"We'll just have to figure that out. That's all for now."

Mac went back into his hiding place just before a Klingon came into the room. He glared at them and sat down.

Bones was leaning against Spock's arm and shoulder as he was still a little addled from the stun blast. Bones felt like he was in a dream. He knew he was not though and he wondered how long this would last. He could not remember ever being stunned before, and he hoped he never experienced this again.

Spock just looked at their guard. "You must know there is nothing to gain by keeping us prisoner," he said.

"I do not want to hear any talk," the Klingon said. "You have disrupted for the last time. We'll see how much you talk when you have to fight your captain in the ring."

Spock was not expecting that retort. "What do you mean?"

"Torg has chosen the two he wants to see fight." The Klingon laughed. "One of you will die!"

Spock knew he would not kill the captain, and he was sure Jim would not want to kill him. He was not sure how the Klingons thought they would force them to fight. He had no intention of fighting Jim.

Jim was made to carry all three of his shackle balls in a sack, which was heavy and did not help him not to be choked by the neck shackle very much. Sulu and Scotty saw Jim when he was brought off the transport. Jim was met by a Klingon who seemed to be favoring his left foot, and he realized this was the Klingon he had dropped that metal ball on his foot. He glared at Jim.

"I hope you win your fight," Torg said. "It will give me the great pleasure of killing you."

Jim wished he could get out of this situation. He did not say a word. He had tried twice to get out and he had only succeeded at getting himself into more trouble.

Scotty and Sulu watched as Jim was roughly taken out of the hangar. "What do we do now?" Sulu asked.

"I don't know, Laddy, but I hope that Solan can get this crowd busy soon," Scotty said.

"They may be watching the captain even closer now."

"We should have expected that he would try to get out."

"He didn't look too good."

"The captain is a tough one. He will make it till we can help him."

Just then, they saw the other transport arriving, and they saw Spock and the others as they were herded off. Bones seemed to be stumbling slightly, and they looked like they had been through a fight. The Klingons had been particularly brutal when they captured them again. "I wonder who the other chap is," Scotty said.

"Maybe someone who got acquainted with the others," Sulu answered. "I intend to write a detailed report about how prisoners are treated on this world and maybe the Federation will do something about it."

"We can only hope."

Not long after all the Klingons cleared out, Mac came from the transport. "Did you see them?" he asked.

"Yes, we saw them," Sulu said. "I'd like to know how you think we can get them out of there."

"Just relax. Our chance will come."

"I'm glad you have so much confidence in this plan because I don't."

"You don't have much confidence in anything except a Federation, do you? Gotta have a little faith in someone else sometimes. See, they're going to lock them up tight, and they're going to go on with their party. Your captain won't be going anywhere this time."

"We could see that," Scotty said just a little testily.

"Well, there won't be anything else happening to stir up the Klingons. We'll wait until they're good and liquored up and then we'll make our move. They most likely won't be guarding them unless they have them tied where they're having the party."

Sulu figured they might do that to the captain. "Who was the other guy with them?" he asked.

"My brother."

They were both surprised at that information. "So we'll get all four at once," Sulu said. "Great."

"Yep. Everything is falling in place. Now we just have to wait."


	9. Chapter 9

Jim was lying on what he thought was a net with the neck shackle chain extended under him and the ball on the floor. He could not sit up or move much without being choked. His arms and legs were stretched out full length in much the same condition. All he could do was lie there. If there was one thing he had always hated, it was being still. He thought he probably got into trouble more when he was young about not sitting still than anything else.

Spock was in a cage, although it was being used as a jail cell, and Bones and Zander were in their own cages. They were not far from Jim. "Captain," Spock said.

"I don't feel much like talking, Spock," Jim replied. He could not see Spock but he knew he was behind him.

"They intend to make us fight, Jim."

"I would rather fight than be lying here like this."

"Jim, this fight is to the death."

"You can kill me, Spock. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in this place. I would rather be dead."

Spock had never heard Jim talk like that. He looked to make sure none of the Klingons were hearing them. "Jim," he whispered. "Mister Sulu and Mister Scott are here to rescue us."

Jim's eyes widened as he was looking up at the ceiling. "They can't get us out of here," he whispered. "I don't want them to be prisoners here."

"They have help, Captain."

"How do you know this?"

"Their helper was on the transport with us."

"So what's the plan?"

"I am not certain, but I am sure we will know when it begins."

Jim was thinking. "Spock, you could pretend to kill me…again," he said.

"Captain, another pinch like that could cause you permanent damage."

"To what?"

"It could cause neurological damage, Captain. In this instance, the deep nerve pinch could cause you to have limited movement in your right arm or hand…or both."

"What do you say, Bones? Could you fix it?"

"I'm not sure, Jim. I could try, but even my abilities are limited."

"I understand."

"Captain, I do not wish to permanently damage you in any way," Spock said.

"There may be no other way out of here, Spock," Jim replied. "Do you really want to live here like this? I can't pretend to kill you. I would rather live with limited movement in my arm and hand than to live as a prisoner."

Spock was silent as he thought about the situation they were in. He knew it might be the only way out. He also knew that if he won the fight between himself and Jim, he would have to face a Klingon the next day…but that might be averted. He knew they had help there and they had to figure out a plan without knowing what the others were planning. He thought that this situation was having a mental impact on Jim more than on the rest of them, but he could understand that because Jim had been treated with more cruelty than they had.

Sulu, Scotty, and Mac were finally able to get out of the hangar. Mac seemed to know where he was going and they followed him. They came around into the gaming area and were behind Spock and the others. They could hear the Klingons laughing heartily as they were drinking with Solan. Sulu had never known anything like this about the Klingons. Of course, they did not know much about them anyway.

Scotty did not like torture, and he could see that the captain was being tortured. "Can't we do something now?" he asked.

"If you want to be captured with them," Mac replied. "We have to wait a while longer so they won't see us."

They sat and watched the Klingons and Solan as they laughed loudly and drank a bottle each of the concoction he had brought to them. They were playing some sort of game, and even fighting part of the time.

One Klingon was not participating in the festivities, however. He came over to Captain Kirk and looked down at him. "I look forward to our battle to the death, Captain," he said.

"I thought Klingons fought with honor," Spock said.

The Klingon looked at him. "Torg will fight no other way!" he said.

"You lie. You keep him in that position, and it weakens him. Do you have to weaken your enemy before you can fight him?"

Bones was watching to see if the Klingon would attack Spock. Torg came over to the cage and looked in at Spock who did not blink an eye. "You think Vulcans have more honor than the Klingons?" Torg growled.

"If you weaken your opponent before you fight, you are a coward," Spock said boldly.

"I am no coward, weakling!"

"You may not face my captain as your opponent. I will kill him myself before I will allow you to disgrace him in such a battle."

Jim could hear what was being said. He thought Spock was putting on a good show, and he knew how Spock could keep his fear and other emotions under control. Bones waited to see what would happen next.

Torg glared at Spock. "Maybe I will kill him for you!" he said. He pulled down on the chain hooked to Jim's neck shackle.

Jim gagged, and he could not move his hands to try and defend himself. "Stop!" Bones yelled. "You're killing him!"

Torg let go of the chain and Jim gasped for air. "We may skip the first fight if you insult me again," he said to Spock.

Spock wanted to insult him further but he did not say anything. He could hear Jim gasping and gagging. "Jim, are you okay?" Spock asked after Torg left.

Jim coughed slightly. "Not really," he said. He could hardly keep from gagging now. "This thing hurts."

"I am sorry, Jim. I did not expect him to do that."

"You were giving him a pretty good argument there, Spock."

Jim gagged again. He tried to relax and just breathe. "Are you sure you're alright, Jim?" Bones asked.

"I will be, Bones."

Zander looked at Spock. "I guess the Klingons like to cause mental anguish as much as they like to cause physical damage," he said.

"What do you mean?" Spock asked.

"He wants to get you worried about your friend there so you'll be distracted. Plus, this is their way of breaking him."

"In other words, you need to shut your mouth and think about how you're going to win this fight," Bones said.

Spock looked at him. "I had no intention of bringing any harm to Jim," he said. "I wanted Torg to know that I have no fear of him."

"Oh. I'm sure he knows that now."

Spock leaned back on the cage and began to meditate. He would not allow Torg to defeat him in such a way as distracting him. He would know that Jim was not dead. He was not sure how they should play that out, however. He thought they should give a clear picture of not wanting to fight each other before they actually did. He was sure he and Jim would figure it out together.

Later that day, Jim was dozing when Torg came over to him again. "We'll see how you hold your liquor, Captain," he said.

Jim did not know what that meant, but Torg roughly took the neck shackle off him. He was glad of that. He also took the other shackles off and jerked Jim up from the net he had been lying on and practically dragged him into the next room. Spock and the others could only watch and wonder what they were about to do to him.

Torg slammed Jim onto a table in the middle of the room. Jim was just about panicking as he was surrounded by Klingons, and then he saw the human participant in all this. Solan looked at Jim with pity, but he could do nothing to help him at the moment.

Jim realized they were about to pour that Klingon liquor down his throat. He struggled with them and refused to open his mouth. The Klingons laughed at him. One of them forced his mouth open. Jim felt like his mouth was on fire. He could not spit it out and had no choice but to swallow…or drown. He did not know how long that went on and then they even poured some in his cuts where he had fought the Klingon with the bat'leth. Jim thought his whole body was numb almost but he felt that stinging. They laughed at his reaction, and then discovered his cracked rib. One of them purposely slapped him on that cracked rib, and they laughed at Jim's cry of pain. Next, they poured the rest of the bottle of liquor down his throat.

Jim hoped this was almost over. He thought he was starting to see double and he was definitely feeling light headed. He was glad when they got him off the table although he felt incredibly dizzy. One of them said something in Klingon and the others laughed loudly. They got him up and one of them hit him in the stomach, knowing it would cause him to throw up after all that. Just when he thought it was over, they threw him onto the table again.

By the time Jim was taken back to the room where the others were being held, he was completely sick, and completely drunk. They shackled him to the door of Bones' cage. "Now, you can consult with your doctor," Torg said and laughed. "You won't be escaping tonight."

"Jim, are you alright?" Bones asked.

Jim looked at him with bloodshot eyes. "Do I look alright, Bones?" he asked.

"What did they do to you?"

"Don't ask. Just let me sleep."

Jim lay down in the floor, not caring that he was hanging by his hands from the shackles. "They tortured him," Bones said.

"It would seem so, Doctor," Spock replied. "But it could have been much worse. Is he injured?"

Bones could see the cut on Jim's midsection since the work uniform he was wearing was sliced open. "That cut is red," he said. "Looks like bruises too."

"Surely they will not do anything further if they expect him to be in a fight."

"Who knows when that'll be? I wish I had a medical kit."

"The captain will most likely survive."

"He smells like alcohol, and he's definitely got bruises on his face. I'd say they forced him to drink."

"Why would they do that?"

"Don't ask me anything about Klingon logic. Far be it from me to try and figure out why they do what they do."

"I do not believe there is any logic involved in the matter, Doctor," Spock replied. "It seems their goal is to show dominance."

"Some dominance. They take him in there and do all this and think that makes them big? Why are they not doing anything to the rest of us? We tried to escape too."

"I believe it is because he is the captain."

"Whatever it is, we have to get out of here," Zander said. "They're gonna check whether he is really dead or not after your fight, and who knows what they'll do with him if they think he is."

"I do not believe it will come to that," Spock said. "I believe now would be a good time for our rescuers to take action."

"So do I," Scotty replied from behind them. "We have weapons for all of you too."

"What about Jim?" Bones asked. "He can't handle a weapon right now. Probably can't even stand up."

"We will see to the captain, Doctor," Spock said.

Sulu and the others moved out of their hiding place since none of the Klingons were in the room now. They unlocked Spock's cage first and he took one of the weapons. When everyone was free, they got Jim up and moved around behind the cages the same way they had come in.

Jim was awake but they could plainly see that he hardly knew where he was. He looked at Bones. "I may throw up on you," he said.

"Don't start that," Bones replied. He turned Jim around to head the other way.

"Oh, hi, Spock," Jim said.

Bones put his hand over Jim's mouth. "Be quiet. There are Klingons out there." He pointed toward the door that went into the hangar. "You want them to take you back in there again?"

Jim seemed to consider that a moment, and then shook his head. "Then you be quiet," Bones said.

"Just one thing," Jim said. "I really have to pee."

"Shut up."

Spock wondered if they could get Jim to the ship in this condition. "We should go out first, and you come out when we make it to the ship," he said.

Suddenly, they heard a commotion behind them. "They're gone!"

"Uh oh. Looks like we have to accelerate our plans!" Scotty said.

They moved quickly to the door. "It's now or never," Sulu said.

They shoved the door open and they immediately had the attention of the three Klingons who were inside the hangar. However, they were surprised and Spock and the others fired.

Their troubles were not over because the Klingons who had been having the party suddenly burst through the door of the hangar. That seemed to send Jim into a panic and he ran for the ship, stumbling as he went. Bones was trying to keep up and help him. It reminded him of the time he had given him that vaccine and he could barely walk. "Come on!" Bones said as he helped Jim up a second time.

Spock and the others were behind them and in a fire fight with the Klingons. Solan's ship was the last one on the deck. Solan had come in with the rest of the Klingons and now he was moving away from them behind a stand of crates. When he was out of their sight, he hurried across the hangar toward his ship. He would try to get there and get it ready before the others got there, and then they could just blast out of there. He would have to get the hangar doors started opening first.

Spock, Sulu, Scotty, Mac, and Zander were hiding behind a Klingon transport trying to protect Bones and Jim as they tried to get to Solan's ship. They were definitely giving the Klingons a fight. They had brought powerful weapons so that they would even have something to use against warbirds if they had to tangle with them.

Bones and Jim finally reached the ramp. Bones thought he would never get him up the ramp but he finally got him into the ship and dropped him onto a cot. Jim did not move, and Bones was glad to see Solan enter the ship. He ran up to the front of the ship to get it prepped for flight.

Spock and the others were moving toward the ship as they tried to keep the Klingons pinned down. "Hurry!" Spock said as they neared the ramp.

Mac and Zander ran into the ship, followed by Scotty and Sulu, and Spock fired his last shots at the Klingons as he ascended the already closing ramp. "Let's go!" he called toward the front of the ship.

Solan was already lifting the ship up ready to blast their way out. The hangar doors were opening slowly, but it took time. The Klingons were firing at the freighter but it had powerful shields and they did not have weapons that could penetrate them.

Mac was the first to get to the front to see what was happening. "How long?" he asked.

"A few more seconds," Solan said. "We can squeeze through when that gap is wide enough."

"I never heard of squeezing a ship through anything."

"Well, buckle up, Pal, cause you're about to witness it."

When the doors were open enough, Solan turned the ship at an unnatural angle and shot through, barely scraping one side of a door. Of course, they were now bombarded by the rain and clouds.

"Are they coming after us?" Sulu asked as he was taking his seat.

"I'm not picking up anything…yet," Solan said. "You're my copilot."

Sulu got into the other seat and buckled himself in. He knew this was going to be a rough ride if they met up with any Klingon patrols.

Bones buckled Jim in too, although he did not know what was happening. "You're lucky," Bones said. "You get to sleep through the whole thing."

Spock and Scotty were up front as well, wondering if they would have to fight their way out of this system. They knew the Klingons at the prison were only a few, and there were many more who would notice a ship there, and they were also sure that the ones at the prison had informed the others by now.

The ship finally burst through the thick clouds of Rura Penthe and blasted on toward open space. "Chart a course out of Klingon space," Solan said.

"I'm working on it," Sulu replied.

Suddenly, an alarm began sounding. "A Klingon war bird!" Mac exclaimed as he could see the monstrosity coming toward them.

"We gotta hit warp!" Solan said.

Sulu was silent a moment. "Now!" he said.

Solan shoved the lever forward that took them into warp, and they all breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's just hope we don't hit any mines," Solan said.

"Mines?" Sulu asked.

"The Klingons set mines to…I guess the best word for it is, _jerk_ ships out of warp. If we hit one of them, we'll be without a warp drive, and it could damage the other engines."

"Can you detect them before you hit them?"

"Now, they wouldn't be much good if everyone could detect them, would they?"

"So, what do we do?"

"Hope and pray that we don't hit one."

Sulu did not think that sounded very reassuring. He hoped they did not hit a mine. He had never heard of such a thing, but then again, they did not venture into Klingon space, and he supposed only those who did would know about the Klingon tricks.


	10. Chapter 10

Uhura and the others were aboard the Enterprise awaiting some word from the others. "Shouldn't they have been out before now?" Uhura asked.

"I don't know," Doctor Marcus answered. "We don't know what they faced when they got there."

"I just hope they're able to get out without being killed."

"I don't believe Solan would have gone in if he didn't think they could get out."

"How do we even know we can trust him? How do we even know he won't betray them?"

"Solan is not a traitor. Mac was certain of that. He wouldn't have gone if he thought he could not trust him."

"How do you know you could even trust Mac? What if he leaves the others?"

"He won't. His brother is there."

"So he's there to get his brother out more than to get our people out."

"He's not a traitor."

"I hope you're certain of that."

"I am."

Uhura wished she felt as certain as Carol seemed to be. She was worried, and she supposed she wished she was there with them, but she had not pushed the subject. She did not want to tangle with Klingons again. They were a foreboding group, and no one she knew would not dread meeting up with them.

Sulu was watching carefully as they were still at warp. He thought there must be some way to detect those mines. He certainly did not want to be in another crippled ship at the edge of Klingon space. There was suddenly a reading on the ship computer. "What's that?" Sulu asked.

Solan looked at the reading. "Could be anything," he said.

"Even one of those mines?"

"Adjust our course. We're heading right for it. It's certainly not an asteroid or anything."

Sulu adjusted the course around the object. They would only be at warp for two more hours. He would be watching the whole time.

Bones came up to the front. "Where's your medical kit?" he asked.

"It's nothing like what you're looking for, Doc," Solan replied. "Don't worry. We'll be back to your ship soon."

"Do you at least have antiseptic?"

"Yeah. It's in that compartment under the cot."

Bones went back to the cot Jim was lying on and looked in the compartment under it. He took out the medical kit and was very disappointed when he saw it. "What does this guy do if he has an injury?" he asked disgusted. He shoved it back into the compartment. It was no good for this, and he was not certain it was sanitary either. He knew how these ship's captains were. They were usually alone on the ship and they did not have to care much about their surroundings.

Bones felt of Jim's forehead as Spock came over to them. "How is he, Doctor?" he asked.

"He sure is sweaty," Bones said. "I hope he…well, the sooner we get back to the Enterprise, the better."

"Is he in danger?"

"Humans were not made to consume Klingon alcoholic beverages. I'm afraid he could have alcohol poisoning."

"How long can he survive without medical care?"

"Probably long enough to get back but he needs something now."

"Maybe we should wake him up."

"Might be a good idea. If we can't wake him up…"

They got Jim up to sitting. "Jim, wake up," Bones said. He shook him. "Come on."

Jim opened his eyes slightly. "Are we there yet?" he asked.

"Where?"

"I don't know. Wherever we were going."

"Jim, wake up."

They got him up. "Oh, I don't ever want to drink again," Jim said.

"You didn't exactly drink it, did you?" Bones asked.

"Drink what?"

"Come on, Jim."

Bones shook him again. "Captain, move your feet and walk," Spock said.

"Why?" Jim asked.

"I don't think this is going to work," Bones said. "He's out of it."

They walked Jim back and forth in the small space with him dragging his feet part of the time. He had his eyes open part of the time. "What are we doing?" he finally asked.

"We're trying to keep you awake," Bones said.

"I feel like I'm drowning."

"Drowning? Why?"

Jim did not answer and they continued walking him around. "Do we have to move around so much?" Jim asked.

"Like I said, we're trying to keep you awake," Bones said.

"I wanta sleep."

"I'm sure you do. You smell like last year's booze bottle, and maybe worse."

"You don't exactly smell like roses."

"Yeah. I'll be glad when I get on the Enterprise. I'm going to take a long shower."

"I hate mud."

"Well, we're off the mud ball now."

"I think I brought part of that planet with me."

"I think we all did. At least we didn't die on it. They probably wouldn't have to do anything but drop us in one of those bogs, and we'd just sink out of sight."

"That may be exactly what they do, Doctor," Spock said. "There are no regulations on that planet."

Jim looked at Bones. "I may throw up on you," he said.

"Oh no you won't," Bones replied. "If you have to do something like that, we can find the latrine."

By the time they got back to Caleb IV, Jim was sitting in a seat, but he was still incredibly sleepy and feeling incredibly drunk. He was not even sure how they had gotten out of that prison but he was glad he was out.

They soon landed on Caleb IV. "Well, I wish we didn't look like we took a mud bath," Bones said. "But I'm sure glad to be back to civilization." He got Jim up. "I guess you don't have such perfect hair today." He touched Jim's mud-stiffened hair. "Sure don't need any hairspray."

Jim still felt a little dizzy but he could stay on his feet now, although he was swaying a little. Just as they were about to leave the ship, they heard someone say, "Jim!"

Jim looked to see Carol hurrying up the ramp. "Carol?"

"Yes. Are you alright?"

"He will be," Bones said, waving his hand in Jim's face because of the silly grin he now had. "I'm sure he'll smell better later too. He's a little…inebriated right now. I'll explain later. Right now, he has to get to the medical bay."

"I'll go with you."

"Suit yourself."

Soon, they were all in the medical bay, and Bones checked them out, patching up wounds and everything. Jim was lying on a bed after several treatments. "Can I go to sleep now?" he asked.

"You can go to your quarters and sleep," Bones said. "As soon as I get you patched up here. I think I've repaired this rib more than once for you."

"Don't remind me. I have a headache."

"No wonder. Your blood alcohol level was off the chart. You're just lucky I could neutralize most of it."

Carol came up beside Jim. "So, you helped them get us out of there," he said.

"I helped find the right people."

"I'm glad. I don't know how much more I could have stood."

"I'll see you later after you're cleared by the doctor."

"Sure."

Carol left, and Bones finished up with Jim. He sat up on the side of the bed. "So, I'm good as new, huh?" Jim asked.

"I wouldn't say that, but you're good enough to get out of my sick bay, and get a shower."

"Thanks, Bones."

"You're welcome."

"See ya later."

Jim left the sick bay and found that he was still stumbling just a little as he found it a little difficult to walk entirely in a straight line. As he was on his way to his quarters, he met Spock. "Captain, are you feeling well?" Spock asked.

"I'm definitely feeling better," Jim said. "I have a headache but other than that I still feel a little drunk."

"I assume you will be on the Bridge soon."

"As soon as I can."

"It seems that we could stay at this station for a few days to rest, Captain. I am…also tired, and I believe it would benefit us all to rest."

"I agree, Spock. I'm too tired to argue with you. Right now, I am going to get out of this dirty prison uniform, and get a shower. I feel like I'm covered in mud, and whatever else I encountered on that planet."

"I felt much the same way, Captain."

"I'll be out soon."

"Yes, Captain. I assume that you want to thank our rescuers."

"Absolutely. Where are they?"

"I shall have them together by the time you're out."

"Good."

Jim got a shower and got into one of his captain's uniforms. He was definitely glad to have on something clean. He was not sure he wanted to stay on the space station. They could be moving while they rested. He wanted to be somewhere else…far away from Klingon territory. He also wanted to know who the woman on Badoran was. She knew way too much about him not to be acquainted with Starfleet in some way. Spock met him in the corridor again.

"Captain, Solan and Mac are in the conference room when you're ready to speak to them," Spock said.

"Right. I want to properly meet those guys."

They went down to the conference room. Solan and Mac stood up, along with Zander as Jim came in, and almost stood at attention. "Captain Kirk, you're looking much better," Zander said.

"Thanks," Jim replied. "I'm feeling much better too, thanks to all of you." He shook hands with all three of them. "Thank you guys for coming after us. Is there anything you need?"

"Just a ship out of here," Mac said.

"You're welcome to stay onboard the Enterprise. We'll get you where you're going."

"Great. This is quite a ship."

"It is. If there's anything you need, just let us know. Solan, are you staying with us?"

"Well, my cargo days are over," Solan said. "I suppose I have to find something else to do."

Jim smiled slightly. "I think we can help you with that. Just give me a little time."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. We're getting out of here as soon as possible. You guys just make yourselves at home. Enjoy your stay."

"Thank you, Captain."

Jim looked at Zander. "So, how is it being a free man again?" he asked.

"I can't complain, Captain," Zander answered. "I knew if you got out of there, I was going with you."

Jim smiled. "I wasn't so sure we were getting out of there for a while, but I'm gonna see what we can do about that prison. It's obviously not like it should be."

"It certainly is not."

"Well, I'll see you all later. Right now, I have to get to the Bridge."

Jim and Spock left the conference room. "Captain, Doctor Marcus wishes to speak with you."

"Where is she?" Jim asked.

"She has been staying in guest quarters."

"Is she staying onboard?"

"I am not certain. I have had no time to speak with her at any length. I was very…happy to see Nyota."

"I'm sure you were."

Jim thought a moment. "Let's get to the Bridge first," he said.

As they walked onto the Bridge, Ensign McCoy said, "Captain on the Bridge. Welcome back, Sir."

"Thank you, Ensign," Jim replied. "It's good to be back. Mister Sulu, I'm not sure we're leaving just yet. Give me a few minutes and I'll let you know."

"Yes sir," Sulu said.

"And, uh, thanks for coming after us."

"You're welcome, Sir. You would have done the same for us."

Jim left the Bridge and headed for the guest quarters. He had almost taken a Vice Admiral job before, and it had not been only because of being tired of space. He had wanted to explain to the Admiral that it was more than that, but he did not get the chance. Then he had decided he was not done with "flying". He was not ready to sit behind a desk yet.

When Jim entered the guest quarters deck, he met Carol in the corridor. "Jim," she said.

"I was coming to see you," Jim replied.

"I didn't know if you were coming."

"Why?"

"Well, it's not like I've always had your undivided attention."

Jim sighed. "Let's talk in private," he said as he knew this was about to be an argument.

"Fine."

They went into Carol's quarters. "What do you mean by that?" Jim asked.

"How much longer are you going to roam through space?" Carol asked.

"This is my ship. Why can't you stay onboard a while? You expect me to give up everything I love to be with you, but you wouldn't even consider staying on the ship with me. Why can't you stay with me until…"

"Until what? Until you get tired of space?"

"I miss you and think of you when I'm in space. I wish you were with me."

"Like I said before, you'll never be grounded."

"Come with me."

"I'll always have to compete for your attention with this ship."

"No you won't."

Carol was silent a moment just looking into his incredibly blue eyes. "What if I do stay onboard?" she asked. "Are you going to stay with me after?"

"You're not being fair. You joined Starfleet too. So what's the problem with being in space?"

"I like to be on a planet, on the ground."

"We stop sometimes."

"For shore leave. You have no roots anywhere."

"You know I'm on a five year mission. When that's over, maybe I will become an admiral and sit behind a desk the rest of my life. Can't you just give me that long?"

"Jim, we just rescued you from a Klingon prison. What's going to happen to you next?"

"That was a freak occurrence. There was no way we could have anticipated that they were involved with that planet in any way."

"You never know what you're going into. You don't just send away teams, you go yourself."

"I like exploring places I haven't seen. Just stay on the ship for a while. If you don't like it, I won't try to stop you from leaving."

"But you won't come with me? You won't ask to have your mission shortened?"

"I don't know right now. It's up to you. I'll be here if you want to stay. If you don't, I…"

Jim went to the door but he stopped and looked at her. "I do love you," he said and went on out the door. He supposed he was not the ideal companion. He was always looking into strange worlds and going where no one had gone before. However, he was doing that when they met.

"Jim!"

Jim looked around to see Carol standing outside her quarters. "I'll stay…for a while."

Jim smiled. "I'm glad. I have to get to the Bridge. We'll have dinner together."

"I'll be looking forward to it."

"Me too."


	11. Chapter 11

Jim went back to the Bridge and sat down in the captain's chair. The others just looked at him a moment. "I'm not sure we're leaving just yet," Jim said.

"What do you have in mind, Captain?" Spock asked.

"We have some unfinished business. I want to know who that woman is and how she became the queen of that planet."

"Do you really think we should go into that again?"

"Oh, we're not going alone. I think we'll stay here a while and I have some reports to write and some messages to send. We need rest…like you said."

"Very well, Captain."

"Everyone just relax and enjoy our time while we have it."

"Yes sir," Sulu said.

Jim thought Sulu looked relieved that they were taking some rest. They had all been through quite an ordeal. Jim looked at Uhura. "Open a ship-wide channel," he said. When he heard that familiar whistle, he thought of what he wanted to say. "Attention crew of the Enterprise. We're going to take a few days here at Caleb IV. I think we could all use a little rest. Enjoy yourselves, but be ready to leave at a moment's notice. Kirk out."

Jim stood up. "Uhura, I want you to send a message to Admiral Gary Carson for me," he said. "Tell him I want to speak to him as soon as possible."

"Yes sir," Uhura replied.

"I'll be in my quarters."

Jim left the Bridge and sighed as he got into the turbo lift. He thought he would sleep until Uhura got a reply from the Admiral. As he was leaving the turbo lift, he almost ran right into Bones and Carol. "So, we're staying here," Bones said.

"Yes, at least for a while," Jim replied.

"Good. Maybe we can stay out of trouble for a while."

"Maybe."

Bones went on into the turbo lift, and Carol stayed with Jim. "You were looking for me?" Jim asked.

"Yes," Carol said. "I thought maybe we could spend a little time together."

"Of course. I was just about to…get some sleep."

Carol smiled slightly. "Well, I could use a little sleep myself."

Jim smiled as he looked down the corridor. "I have a big bed."

Carol laughed quietly as she followed him into his quarters…

Jim was awakened by his communicator. He sat straight up on the bed. He had almost forgotten that he laid down. Then he realized he must have fallen asleep while Carol was talking. He rubbed his eyes. She must be furious at him. His communicator whistled at him again. He grabbed it. "Yeah."

"Captain, Admiral Carson is waiting," Uhura said.

"Oh. I'll take it here."

Jim jumped up and hoped his hair was not tousled as he hurried over to the monitor and flipped it on. He sat down as Admiral Carson appeared on the screen. "Captain Kirk," he said.

"Admiral. Sorry if I kept you waiting."

"You look tired, Captain."

"I was…resting," Jim said stifling a yawn.

"So, what's so urgent."

"We've had some problems, Admiral. I hope you aren't busy."

"If I was, I wouldn't have called you back."

"Yes sir. All this started when we went on an away mission to Badoran…."

Jim told the Admiral everything that had happened. "I don't know who this woman was, Admiral, but she knew me, and she knew about the Enterprise. She was also connected to the Klingons enough that they picked us up as prisoners. This Klingon prison is inhumane. They take people prisoner who just accidentally wander into their system, and they're forcing them to work in this dilithium crystal mine. There are people there who are not criminals, Admiral. How can we just do nothing?"

"Captain Kirk, we do not interfere with what other systems do, especially those that are not part of the Federation," Admiral Carson said.

"But sir…"

"No buts, Captain. We do not want to start a war with the Klingons."

"Admiral, I don't see how we can avoid it. They've even attacked this space station. It may be the only way to try and make peace with them."

"By starting a war? You must have been in space too long, Kirk."

"Sir, all I'm saying is that they're committing crimes that…"

"Make out your report, Kirk. It will be reviewed by Starfleet."

"Admiral, they took us prisoner and we did not break any laws, and we certainly didn't break any protocols. They even tortured me. Does that not matter?"

"Like I said, file your report. Good day, Captain."

The transmission ended. Jim sighed as he rubbed his eyes. He could hardly believe no one cared about what was happening here. He would discuss this with Spock, and find out how they could make someone care. First, he had to find Carol.

Jim left his quarters and headed for the turbo lift. As he was about to board it, Bones joined him. "Hey, where you headed?" Bones asked. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt with a leather jacket. "You're wearing your uniform while you're on R and R?"

"I'm not heading out right now, Bones. I'll catch up with you later."

"Whatever you say."

Bones left to go out into the spaceport. Jim went to the guest quarters and rang Carol's door chime. He waited and rang it again, but she did not answer. "She must really hate me," he said to himself.

Jim made his way back to the Bridge and found Uhura was still at her station. "Uhura, do you have any idea where Doctor Marcus is?" he asked.

"I haven't seen her," Uhura said.

"Thanks. What about Spock?"

"I think he's getting some rest. He was really tired."

"When you see him, tell him to contact me."

"Yes, Captain."

Jim left the Bridge and went back to his own quarters. He supposed he could just sleep some more since he could not find anyone he was looking for. Carol would just have to be angry at him for a while longer.

Scotty, Mac, and Solan were sitting in a bar out in the space station. "You don't know anything about that woman who has become the queen of Badoran?" Scotty asked.

"Not a thing," Solan said. "She would most likely know about me now though."

"I'd like to know how she is connected to the Klingons."

"Must be some explanation. But I was delivering stuff to them, so it's possible to have connections to them."

"And she's also connected with Starfleet. You wouldn't happen to have some secret weapon you could use to go to that planet and find out, would you? Some telepath?"

Mac leaned on the table and thought a moment. "I think I do know someone who could help you," he said thoughtfully. He looked at Scotty. "You do have the approval of your captain, right?"

"Not exactly," Scotty said. "I haven't told him yet."

"You're not going to tell him?"

Scotty considered that a moment. "I don't know yet. I would like to find out something first and then find out what he wants to do about it."

"You think he'll say no? I thought your captain was anxious to find out about that woman."

"I think he is but he contacted Starfleet, and since I haven't heard anything yet, I'm assuming they told him to stay out of it."

"You're kidding. I thought they would want to know who sent one of their captains to a Klingon prison world."

"You would think."

"So you're going to find out for him and let him know yourself."

"Something like that."

"Well, I'll get in touch with my…friend, and see if she can help."

"Great. Just let me know. I'll tell the captain when I think it's necessary."

"Right. Just so long as I don't get into trouble."

Scotty was not certain they would not all be court marshaled but he would keep the captain out of it for now. He knew if the Admiral had agreed with Jim that he would have let them know right away. He had been silent, and when the captain was silent, Scotty took that as a sign that he was either disappointed or he was trying to form his own plan.

Carol was sitting at a bar herself, although she was not drinking anything. She could not believe Jim had fallen asleep while she was talking to him, although she understood why he was tired. He had just been rescued from a Klingon prison planet. She had just left so he could get some rest. She would talk to him later when he was awake. She supposed she should have known he was too tired to have a deep conversation. He had never ignored her before. However, she would just let him fret over it for a while since he had invited her in.

Jim had finally left the ship. He thought maybe he felt a little rested now. He had no idea where to look for Carol. It was a big space station and she could be anywhere. He did not even know where other members of his crew were. He walked out into a corridor, which was what most of the space station was. After all, it was not like a planet. It was one of those bleak places that did not resemble anything natural.

"Captain Kirk!"

Jim stopped and looked around to see Ensign McCoy coming. "Ensign," he said. "You need something?"

"Well, I was about to ask you if you need anything, Sir?"

"Uh, no. Well, you wouldn't happen to know where Doctor Marcus is, would you?"

"No, sir, but I will let you know if I find her."

"Thank you. Why aren't you out enjoying yourself?"

"I have been, Sir, but if you need me to do anything for you, just call me."

"Thank you, Ensign."

Jim walked on wondering why Ensign McCoy admired him so much. He did not think he had been such a great role model before. He supposed he has settled down quite a lot in the last few years. He was definitely more responsible. He was responsible for a ship full of people, and he did not like the fact that someone had taken them to a Klingon prison world and would get away with it. It was a definite injustice.

Jim soon came to a noisy bar, and Scotty came out almost running into him. "Scotty. Where have you been?"

"Right here, Captain," Scotty replied. "Why?"

"I didn't even see you after we got off Rura Penthe."

"Oh. Well, I thought I should check the warp drive and make sure everything was running like it should."

"I just wanted to thank you for coming after us."

"Oh, think nothing of it, Sir."

"Have you seen Doctor Marcus?"

"No, Sir, I haven't."

Just then, Mac and Solan walked out of the bar. Jim thought they looked a little surprised to see him. "Captain," Mac said. "You finally get all rested up?"

"I guess," Jim said. He looked at the three of them thinking they looked rather guilty. "Are you guys up to something?"

"Up to something?" Scotty asked, sounding a little too surprised. "What makes you think that?"

"Nothing. I have to find someone."

Jim walked on, but he had to wonder what they were doing. He had seen guilty people before and Scotty could not hide it when he was hiding something. He was sure Scotty would not do anything illegal…at least he hoped he would not.

Jim walked around the spaceport until he thought he might not have to exercise for a while, but he did not find Carol. However, as he was about to walk into the supervisor's office, he met up with Spock and Uhura. "Well, I finally find someone," Jim said.

"Were you looking for me, Captain?" Spock asked.

"Sorta."

"How can you be… _sorta_ looking for someone?"

"I mean, I am really looking for someone else but I was hoping I would find you too."

"Oh. Did you wish to speak to me about something?"

"My conversation with the Admiral," Jim said. "He doesn't intend to do anything about what happened to us. He doesn't even care about whoever the woman is on Badoran."

"It would seem to me that an Admiral should be at least curious about such a thing."

"I'm glad you see it that way, Spock."

"Captain, did he order you to leave the situation alone?"

"Yes, Spock."

"I hope you are going to follow those orders."

"Don't you care that someone took us prisoner illegally and sent us to a Klingon prison world?"

"Captain, if we have been ordered to stay out of the situation, I believe it would be wise to follow that order. We would gain nothing by losing our ship."

"I know you're right, Spock. But they're so afraid of a war with the Klingons, they don't even realize that it may be the only way to even begin to make peace with them. You have to agree that what they're doing to prisoners on that world should not be, don't you?"

"Of course, Captain, but I do not believe we can do anything about it alone."

"He's right, Captain," Uhura agreed. "If we tried, we would most likely only succeed at getting the Enterprise destroyed and maybe even taken prisoner ourselves. And we could all be destroyed with the ship."

"I didn't say we were going to try that," Jim said. "But it looks like Starfleet wouldn't just turn their backs on this just because they're afraid of a war with the Klingons." Jim shook his head. "Never mind. Have either of you seen Doctor Marcus?"

"I saw her earlier," Uhura said.

"Where?"

"She was at the bar just down there."

"Thanks."

Jim hurried that way. Uhura smiled at his anxiety. "Do you think those two will ever get together?" she asked.

"I am not certain," Spock said. "I do believe that Jim cares deeply for her."

"Me too."

Jim went into the bar that was not far from where he had met Spock and Uhura. He looked around the room. "Captain Kirk," someone said.

Jim looked to see the supervising Admiral sitting at a table. "Have a seat," Admiral Fern said.

Jim wanted to say that he was trying to find someone but he would not argue with the Admiral so he sat down. "Sir, I was thinking of coming to visit you," he said as he was looking around the room for Carol.

"You looking for someone, Captain?"

Jim looked at him. "As a matter of fact, I was," he said.

"That can wait."

"Yes sir." Jim wished it did not have to wait but he supposed it would.

"Order yourself a drink," Admiral Fern said.

"Uh, no thank you. I'm cutting down."

"Suit yourself."

Jim thought he might never want another drink after what he went through with the Klingons. As he listened to Admiral Fern talking about the space station, he saw Carol heading for the door. He wanted to go after her, but he could not. She stopped just as she got to the door and looked at him. She could see his anxiety written all over his face. She smiled at him slightly and then went on out.

Jim sighed as he turned his attention back to the Admiral. He wondered what that smile meant. Now, he would have to track her down again. He leaned on his elbow on the table and listened to the Admiral.

"I heard about what happened to you and some of your crew," Admiral Fern said. "Escaping from a Klingon prison planet is no simple task."

Jim sat up straighter then. "We just had the right people to help us," he said.

"Yes. Your crew seems to have the knack for getting out of just about anything."

"We try, Sir."

"I suppose you would like to have some justice, and find out who the woman was who knew so much about you."

Jim frowned. "Yes, I would, Sir, but Admiral Carson…"

"Yes, I know. That old stick in the mud. I'm surprised he even ties his own shoes."

Jim scowled at that. He had thought everyone liked Admiral Carson. "He doesn't think we should get involved in the situation," Jim said. "He's concerned that we might start a war with the Klingons."

"Oh, I know that too. All he talks about is the war with the Klingons. Not much different than the last one we had in charge. At least that one wasn't afraid of it. Are you afraid of it, Captain Kirk?"

Jim just stared at him a moment. "I wouldn't say I'm afraid. It's not something that I want to happen."

"I also think it's inevitable."

"Sir, I…"

"You won't speak out against an Admiral, especially Carson. He holds the reigns of your ship. I'm stuck out here in deep space so close to Klingon space, I can almost see them staring at us. He sits up there in his cushy office while the Klingons come over here and attack us. They haven't succeeded yet at causing us permanent damage, but who knows what they'll do next?"

Jim was just a little confused. "What are you saying?" he asked.

"I'm saying, I think you should go to that planet. Why didn't you ask me first? I would have told you to go and find out who that woman was. I would like to know myself. She obviously must have some sort of connection to Starfleet, and if she does, what is she telling the Klingons in exchange for their cooperation about taking her prisoners? She obviously didn't want you to know what's going on there. Probably knew you were beaming down to that planet before you ever got down there. You ever wondered how those Klingons knew you were on Kronos? I'm sure Khan didn't tell them."

Jim realized he had not really thought everything out so thoroughly. He had not had time. He had been in that prison, wondering if he and his friends were going to die. After he got out he was dead tired. "So you think she could be giving secrets to the Klingons?" he asked. "That would certainly make sense. But if she's not a member of Starfleet, how would she get these secrets?"

"Exactly." Fern leaned on the table. "Do you know there was a Starfleet captain whose ship disappeared in deep space? She was never heard from again, and neither were any of her crew."

"What happened to them?"

"No one knows, but you may have just stumbled onto the secret. If she is having people sent to the Klingon prison planet, no one would ever figure out who she is or that she was sharing technologies and secrets with the Klingons. All the while, she sits there in luxury with a whole planet of people at her beck and call."

"I'm not sure why you're telling me this."

"Because you'll listen!"

Jim was definitely listening, but he was not sure what he could do about it. He knew ship captains had a lot of information. Admiral Fern slapped his hand on the table, getting Jim's attention back to him. He pointed at Jim. "You could have solved that mystery and could have found a way to get the Klingons off our back," he said. "I only wish you had come to me, Kirk."

Jim did not know what to say to that, but Admiral Fern stood up, so he stood up too. "I'll see you later," the admiral said. "Bring that first officer of yours and that doctor. Bring everyone who was involved. I'd like to know more about this prison world."

"Yes sir," Jim said. He watched the Admiral walk out of the bar. He wondered what his intentions were. He would not blatantly go against Starfleet orders, even for an Admiral. He shook his head as he wondered what he was getting into this time. For now, he would continue his search for Carol since she so obviously knew he must be looking for her. He wondered if she was just trying to get at him for falling asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Jim Kirk sat on an observation deck looking out into deep space. He could see nothing but stars mostly. He could see a nebula in the distance. He had been thinking about what Admiral Fern told him since he could not find Carol and talk to her. Now he just sat here staring into space…the final frontier. How many times had he heard that? An endless frontier.

"Jim, what are you doing out here?" Bones asked as he walked onto the large observation deck.

Jim looked at him. "I was just thinking," he said.

"Thinking about what. I've been looking for you for hours."

"Seems we're all looking for each other. I guess it was good to stay here a while. No one can find the other."

"What's bugging you?"

"Bugging me?"

"Yeah. Something's eating at you. You might as well tell me."

Jim sat down on a bench and continued to look out into space as he sighed. Bones sat down beside him. "Well, it can't be all that bad," Bones said as he looked out into space himself. "I can sure think of better views than this."

"Not now, Bones."

Bones looked at Jim then. "You gonna tell me what's wrong or not?"

"Everything. I don't even know where to start."

"Might as well start somewhere."

Jim folded his arms. As the captain of the ship, he had to listen to everyone's problems, and usually, Bones and Spock were the only ones who heard his. "I think Carol's mad at me," he said.

"Oh…that. Well, I'm not surprised."

Jim looked at him. "What do you mean, you're not surprised?"

"Frankly, I don't know why you haven't married the woman."

Jim started to say something but then looked back out the viewport. "I asked her," he said.

Bones looked at him with a surprised look. "You did? What did she say?"

"Never mind that. I've been looking for her most of the day…or night. Whatever it is here."

"Oh. You're getting that old nostalgic feeling again."

"No. I'm just…" Jim looked at Bones. "Admiral Fern told me some stuff about Badoran."

"Really? What does he know about it?"

"He doesn't know anything for sure but…"

Just then, Spock walked in. "Captain, I have been trying to reach you," he said. "I could not, and have searched for you for hours."

"Seems like everyone has been searching for hours," Jim said. "Something wrong?"

"No, but I thought we should discuss your concerns further."

"Oh, well, have a seat, Spock. We've got a lot to talk about."

Spock sat down on the other side of Jim. "Hey, just so you'll be filled in on what we've already talked about," Bones said, "he asked Carol to marry him, and she said no."

Jim looked at him. "Bones. I didn't say she said no."

"You didn't say she said yes either."

"Jim, I did not know that you were interested in marrying Doctor Marcus," Spock said.

"Can you guys keep that to yourselves?" Jim asked.

"Of course, Captain."

"Nobody will hear it from me," Bones said.

"Good," Jim said. "That's personal. The other discussion is about Badoran."

"Do you have new information, Captain?" Spock asked.

"Yes. Admiral Fern thinks the queen on Badoran is a Starfleet captain who disappeared several years ago. He thinks she may be trading Starfleet secrets to the Klingons, and he thinks she may even be the one who tipped off the Klingons when we were on Kronos."

Spock absorbed that. "What does he intend to do about it?" he asked. "How does he know this?"

"He doesn't know anything for sure, but he definitely doesn't agree with Admiral Carson. He wants to meet with all of us who were on Rura Penthe. Just think about it, Spock. It makes sense."

"It does bear consideration, Captain. However, we have been instructed to stay out of the situation."

"I know that. I'm telling you what Admiral Fern said. He puts up with the Klingons out here all the time, and he thinks this Starfleet captain may be how the Klingons are knowing so much about Starfleet. She obviously has technology and may have even developed it further. We were not on Badoran long enough to know who all was there."

"When are we due for this meeting?"

"Whenever we go. He didn't give me a specific time. I have to get Scotty and the others together. I met them at the bar earlier, and…"

"And what?"

"Never mind. I don't know. Scotty seemed to be having a meeting with Mac and Solan."

"Do you believe he has some sort of scheme planned? If he does, we must warn him not to proceed, Captain."

"Spock, since we got on this spaceport, I have lost track of everyone. I even left my communicator in my quarters. I think we're all so tired we're almost to the point of being sloppy."

"Are you suggesting that weariness is the reason that we did not know about the technology on Badoran?"

"She is most likely sharing technologies with the Klingons and they are in turn sharing with her. I think she has something to mask whatever she uses to know when someone comes near the planet."

"You may be correct, Captain."

"What good does all this information do us if we can't use it?" Bones asked. "If she was a Starfleet captain and she is sharing with the Klingons, doesn't Starfleet think she should be stopped?"

"They may not know the seriousness of the situation," Jim said. "They're not out here at the edge of civilized space like Admiral Fern is."

"Civilized space, my eye. More like a giant bomb waiting to explode."

"Come on, Bones. It's not that bad."

"Oh, it isn't? Then why are we sitting here having this conversation?"

"We are here because the captain cannot deal with all this alone," Spock said.

"I know that. But you have to admit that most of space we have seen is not civilized."

"I must agree with you, Doctor. However there are those who do want to be civilized."

"Tell me why we can't ever meet up with any of them."

"Don't be so pessimistic, Bones," Jim said. "Everyone's not a member of Starfleet, and some have been told that Starfleet is a giant trying to take over the galaxy."

"You are right, Captain," Spock said. "But what do we tell Admiral Fern in this meeting?"

"I don't know yet, Spock. I think we're going to listen to everything he has to say. He may not even want to use us for anything. Maybe he just wants us to give him all the information we have. He can make up his own mind after that."

"If he goes against Starfleet, it will make him a rogue Admiral, and we could be pulled into the situation if we give him information."

"No. I don't think we will. We'll just see what happens."

They all sat there a few minutes looking out into space. "So, what are you going to tell Carol when you find her?" Bones asked. "And what did you do to get her so hopping mad at you?"

"I didn't say she was hopping mad," Jim said. "I just said she was…mad at me."

"So what did you do?"

Jim folded his arms. "I fell asleep while she was talking."

Bones sat up and looked at him. "You're kidding!"

"I was tired. I had just got rescued from a prison world."

Bones leaned back again and shook his head. "You're dead."

"Doctor, that is a very defeatist way to assess the situation," Spock said. "He can simply explain to her that he was physically exhausted."

"Oh, like you explained to Uhura how we tracked them down on Altamid?"

"She did not ask how we tracked them down, and I did not find that it was necessary to bring up the subject."

"I'm sure you didn't. So she still doesn't know she's wearing a radioactive tracking device?"

"It is not a tracking device. It is simply made of a mineral that I remembered was quite easy to detect."

"Then why didn't you tell her?"

"Since we had just gotten back together, I did not want to…how do you say, fan the flames?"

"You guys bicker more than anyone I've ever seen," Jim said.

"We are not bickering, Captain," Spock replied. "We are simply having a discussion."

"Sounds like bickering to me."

"Vulcans do not bicker."

"Oh, yeah, they just debate."

Bones laughed. "You can't win that one, Spock," he said.

"We are supposed to be trying to help the captain," Spock said. "Not discussing my relationship with Uhura."

"Oh. Pardon me." Bones leaned back on the seat. "You think she's just avoiding you?"

"I don't know," Jim said. "Yeah, I guess."

"She's probably just trying to get you to fret over it. They like to do that."

"She did agree to stay on the Enterprise for a while."

"Really? For how long?"

"Until the five year mission is up. I mean, we don't have even two years left."

"Oh, yeah, just one year and twenty-two months. Yippee."

"She expects me to…"

"To what?"

"She wants me to become a vice admiral and settle down at a desk job."

Bones considered that. "Are you going to?" he asked.

"I don't know. I don't know what I want to do. Maybe by the time the five years is over, I'll want to."

"If you love her, you'll do it. You may regret it later, but you'll do it."

"Doctor, I do not believe the captain will regret staying with the woman he loves," Spock said. "A ship is not a companion."

"Yeah. You're right about that."

"I will most likely stay with Uhura as well. There are many places in the galaxy where one can settle down, and can travel when needed."

"So what do I tell her?" Jim asked.

"Tell her the truth, Captain," Spock answered. "You have no guarantee that she is angry at you anyway."

"Yeah, I think she's just playing with you," Bones said. "She wants you to stew for a while."

Jim stood up and stretched. "Well, let's see if we can track down Scotty and the others to have the meeting with Admiral Fern," he said.

"It would be much easier if we all had our communicators," Spock pointed out.

"I agree. I'm going to get mine."

They left the observation deck, paying no attention to the ship that was arriving at the space port.

Jim went to his quarters and retrieved his communicator which he found in the floor beside his bed. He thought he must have really been tired to have dropped it there. He headed back out and almost ran into Carol as she was about to ring his door chime. "Carol!" Jim said. "What are you doing here?"

Carol paused a moment. "I followed you, "she said.

"You followed me? How did you know where I was?"

"Well, I saw you."

"Look, I'm sorry I fell asleep. I was…"

"You don't have to explain." Carol stood on her toes and kissed him. "I'll see you for dinner later. There's a fabulous restaurant. I'll call you. Just keep your communicator on."

Jim was just a little surprised about that encounter as he watched her walk down the corridor. So she was not mad at him. He thought Bones might have been right. "Hey!" he said. "Wait." He hurried to catch up with her. "Were you avoiding me?"

"Avoiding you?" Carol asked. "Why would you think that?"

"Well, you left the bar."

"You were talking to Admiral Fern."

"Yeah, but you didn't leave me a note or anything."

"You're right. I was just trying to…punish you a little."

"I am sorry."

"It's forgotten, but don't be late for our dinner."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Carol smiled. "I'll see you later, Captain."

Jim watched her a moment longer, but then he went back out to the space port. He flipped his communicator open. "Bones, Spock, have you found them?" he asked.

"Not yet," Bones said. "It's like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"I have had no luck as of yet, Captain," Spock said. "Where did you last see Mister Scott?"

"He's not there anymore, Spock. Let's just keep looking for him."

Jim had to wonder what Scotty was up to. He knew Mac and Solan knew a lot of undercover people, and they would help Scotty find anyone he wanted to find. He was not sure Scotty would tell him if he was up to something, and he figured that was why he was staying so secretive and not taking his communicator with him.

As Jim came around to the other side of the space station, he found a large, hangar that only had one ship in it. He did not think anyone was in there and started to leave, but then he heard that familiar Scottish accent. He walked quietly into the gloomy hangar and soon came to the ship where he could hear Scotty talking. Jim peeped around one of the landing struts and could see that Scotty was with Mac and Solan, and they were talking to a woman he had never seen.

"Are you sure you can get in without them knowing?" Scotty asked.

"I have a cloaking device on my ship," the woman said. "They won't even know we're there. Besides, I'm going to appear with a flair."

"What does that mean?"

"My co-pilot knows how to work a transporter. I will get their attention right away and I will be able to communicate with them telepathically." The woman turned and looked right at the landing strut where Jim was hiding. "We're not alone."

Jim was surprised that she knew he was there. He had been completely quiet. "What do you mean, we're not alone?" Solan asked as he drew his favorite blaster.

"Someone's there behind the landing strut."

Jim stepped out from behind the landing strut. He could see the utter surprise on Scotty's face. "It's just me," he said.

"Captain," Solan said. "You could have gotten shot."

"I'm glad I didn't. What are you guys doing?"

"We're doing what you can't do."

"What does that mean?"

"Captain, don't get into this," Scotty said.

"Scotty, if you're involved in something, I am too," Jim said. "What are you planning here?"

"It's nothing, Captain."

"I heard her say something about telepathy. Tell me you're not planning on sending her down to Badoran."

"Trust me, Jim."

"Scotty, you are to stop this right now," Jim said. "And you're coming with me, and so are Solan and Mac. Admiral Fern wants to meet with us. We have been looking all over for you guys. I can see now why you weren't findable."

"Captain, we're not members of your crew," Mac reminded him.

"You were staying aboard my ship. I'm responsible for what you're doing."

The woman walked over to Jim. "My name is Elana," she said. "They have told me about what happened to you. Don't you even want to hear the plan?"

Jim gave Scotty a stern look. "You were supposed to keep this among us," he declared.

"You didn't tell me that, Captain," Scotty replied.

"You didn't give me a chance, Mister Scott. Do I have to exert my authority over you?"

Scotty stood up straighter. "You have a perfect right to, Captain."

"I'll deal with you later." Jim looked at the woman. "I can't authorize you to go to that planet, and if they do it, it's going to look like I was involved. If Admiral Carson finds out about this, he will take my ship, and I will be court marshaled. I'm not going to be happy about that."

"You worry too much, Captain," Elana said.

"No. I don't worry enough, obviously. Mister Scott will not have any more to do with this." Jim looked at Solan and Mac. "I would appreciate it if the two of you would not have any more to do with it. Come with me. The Admiral wants to see us all."

"I'll see you guys later, Solan," Elana said.

Jim frowned as she smiled at him over her shoulder. He thought he was losing control of this whole situation. He looked at Scotty. "Come along, Mister Scott. We have some things to talk about."

Scotty followed Jim from the hangar. Jim was silent all the way down that corridor and until they got to the Admiral's office. He opened his communicator. "Spock, Bones, I found them," he said. "We're at the Admiral's office."

"We will be there shortly, Captain," Spock replied.

"Good."

Jim looked at Scotty. "At least I have some who don't try to go over my head," he said.

"Captain, I was not trying to do anything behind your back," Scotty said.

"Really? You sure weren't doing it in front of my face."

"I mean, I was going to discuss it with you before we did anything."

"Scotty, you should have discussed it before you ever had a meeting with Mac and Solan. What do you think is going to happen if…"

"Captain, it was really my idea," Mac said. "I mentioned to Mister Scott that we should try to do something about this since your hands are tied."

"Mister Scott knows better, and he has an obligation to the ship and crew. I won't listen to any more of this."

Scotty did not think he had ever seen Jim so angry…truly angry. He knew he had stepped over the line this time, although he had thought Jim would want to go along with it.

Spock and Bones arrived. "Now that we're all here, we'll go in and meet with Admiral Fern," Jim said looking at Scotty.

Bones and Spock wondered what that was all about, but they did not have time to ask as they all went into the Admiral's office to find out what he wanted to tell them.


	13. Chapter 13

"Captain Kirk and his motley crew," Admiral Fern said as they entered his office.

Bones and Spock looked at Jim. "We're here as you requested, Admiral," Jim said.

"Have a seat, gentlemen."

They all sat down. Jim wondered what the Admiral intended to tell them, but he soon found out, and it was basically the same thing he had told him in the bar, and he let them all tell what had happened from their point of view.

"We had an idea, Admiral," Solan said.

Jim gave him a warning look, but Solan continued. "I have this friend who is a telepath," Solan said. "She's willing to go down to the planet to find out how this woman became the queen of that planet. She has a cloaking device on her ship and they won't know it's there."

"That won't work," Jim said. "They'll know she doesn't belong there."

"She doesn't intend to hide. She's going to try and upset the queen's kingdom."

"Sounds interesting," Admiral Fern said.

"Admiral, they can't do this," Jim said. "It's too dangerous."

"Anything we do is going to be dangerous, Mister Kirk."

"But Admiral…"

"You won't be part of this. You and your crew are dismissed."

Jim was surprised by that, but he stood up. "Yes sir."

Jim, Bones, Spock, and Scotty left the office. "Now, we're really on the outside of the loop," Scotty said.

Jim frowned at him. "I'm not done with you," he said and walked away.

Bones and Spock looked at Scotty. "What did you do?" Bones asked.

"Nothing," Scotty answered.

"Don't tell us nothing. If he's that upset, you did something."

"You know, Mac and Solan know a lot of people, and we were trying to get something together to find out what's going on on that planet, and then try to do something about those Klingons."

"You did that without consulting Jim?"

"I was gonna tell him before we did anything."

"I am sure the captain considers it very disrespectful that you would go behind his back and do something like this without consulting him first, Mister Scott," Spock said.

"That wasn't my intention, and I figured the captain would like the plan once he heard it."

"Your intentions may have been good, but your execution was flawed."

"Yeah, what he said," Bones agreed. "Jim is the captain, and no matter how easy-going he may be, and how good a friend he may be, we still don't go behind his back."

Scotty frowned. "So you two are going to make me feel even worse," he said. "Didn't you see how those prisoners are treated in that prison?"

"Yes, we saw it up close and personal," Bones replied. "Don't forget we were there. You didn't see the half of it, but I don't want to see Jim court marshaled."

"He wouldn't have been. I…"

"What was the plan anyway, Mister Scott?" Spock asked. "To send this woman onto the planet to observe…or to interfere?"

"Oh, she was going to interfere," Scotty said. "Not only could she appear on the planet like magic, but she's also a telepath. She could have communicated with the people telepathically and could have proven the queen a fake."

"It does sound like a pretty good plan," Bones said. He looked at Spock. "Surely you're not thinking of going against the captain's orders."

"If the Admiral intends to take the plan into consideration, I do not see that we would be to blame when Starfleet finds out about it."

"I don't believe it. Are you actually saying you're going to get involved in this?"

"Where is this woman?" Spock asked.

"She's most likely still in the hangar," Scotty answered. "You want to meet her?"

"I would."

Bones' mouth dropped open. "I don't believe this," he said, but he followed them. "What are we going to do when the captain finds out about this?"

"He will not find out if you do not tell him," Spock said. "I do not intend to tell him."

"I can't believe it. You're sneaking around behind the captain's back after what you just said to Scotty."

"I am only going to meet this woman. The Admiral will be the one who initiates the plan, not me."

"Oh, but you can't stand not knowing what's going on, right? What do you think Jim would say if he knew we were doing this? We'll all be in his dog house."

"Doctor, no one asked you to come along. If you do not wish to be part of this, you can freely go about your business."

"Thanks a lot, Spock. I guess I'm too curious too. But if Jim catches us, you're going to explain it to him."

"I will be glad to."

Bones was not sure he wanted to face Jim if he found out they got into this, but he was curious anyway. He looked up at the ship as they walked into the hangar. It was a streamlined, small ship, and looked almost like an arrow, but it had two points, one at the front part of the ship and one at the back part, and there was a long narrow area in between. "A space arrow," he said. "That ship must draw plenty of attention."

"We will see, Doctor," Spock replied.

Scotty led them over to the ship. When they came around to the open hatch, Elana was sitting at the top of the ramp cleaning a weapon. "Are you guys back already?" she asked.

"I brought two of my crewmates this time," Scotty said. "This is Spock and Doctor McCoy. They're curious about the plans we were making."

"That captain of yours is a stickler for the rules, isn't he?"

Bones almost laughed at that. "I beg to differ."

"I believe the Admiral intends to put the plan into motion," Spock said. "I am simply curious about what you think you can accomplish on that world."

"Telepaths like to communicate with telepaths," Elana said. "It's that simple. If I go there and I'm talking to them the way they like, they'll listen, and I will convince them that she's a phony. She will not be able to interrupt."

"You make it sound simple, but she could simply have you shot. After all, she is in control of the people on that planet."

"That's true, but I'm not going to appear where she is. I'm going to appear where the masses are."

"I have a feeling that she has been on this planet for some time, and it may not be so easy to gain their trust, and turn them against her."

"I agree, but there's only one way to find out. If things don't work, he'll beam me back to the ship."

"They have a way of disrupting communications. We lost communication with our ship on the planet, and could not call Mister Scott to beam us back."

"Don't forget they stunned us," Bones said. "I had never been stunned before, and I didn't like it one bit."

"I am certain no one likes it." Spock looked at Elana again. "How do you intend to convince them of the truth?" he asked.

"I'll just have to expose her technology that she uses to scan all the ships that come along. If I get them curious enough, they may expose her themselves."

"We want to know how she is connected to the Klingons and how this connection came about."

"That is a strange partnership, but it may be simply that she shares technology and information with them. They take that as great value. I'm sure they would like to know how to defeat this space station so they can take more prisoners to work in their mines. Do you not know that is why the Admiral is so interested in finding the solution to this problem?"

"That's what Solan thinks," Scotty added. "He and Mac have seen what goes on in that prison. Who knows what would have happened to the three of you if you had been there much longer?"

Spock was silent a moment. "I think that you should be in the meeting with Admiral Fern along with Mac and Solan," he said. "Your insight would greatly help their cause, and would probably…"

Just then, Spock's communicator whistled. "Uh oh," Bones said. "He's looking for us again."

"He will not know that we are here," Spock replied. He opened the communicator. "Spock here."

"Spock, where are you?" Jim asked.

"I am…with the doctor and Mister Scott."

"I'm going to dinner with Carol tonight. Make sure Mister Scott stays out of that plan of the Admiral's."

"Yes sir."

"As a matter of fact, he should go back to the Enterprise. He can diagnose the engines and whatever. He's confined to his quarters and engineering."

Scotty's mouth dropped open. "This is getting worse all the time," he said.

"Don't tempt me to make it worse," Jim replied. "Kirk out."

The transmission ended. Bones shook his head. "And here we are," he said. "I don't want to be confined to the ship. Let's get out of here."

"You guys keep me informed," Scotty said and stalked off toward the Enterprise.

"Let's get out of here, Spock," Bones said.

Spock looked at Elana. "I believe you should visit the Admiral and explain your ideas," he said. "I will take you there."

"You're gonna take her there?" Bones asked, unbelieving. "You're just asking for Jim to catch you."

"You do not have to accompany us, Doctor."

"Good. I won't."

Bones left the hangar. He could hardly believe Spock was doing such a thing as going against what Jim had ordered them to do. Then again, he had not ordered them not to listen. He would not be part of it, however. He wanted to enjoy himself before they went back out in space.

Jim stretched his arm and shoulder, as well as his neck. They were feeling quite stiff. He wondered if it had something to do with Spock's Vulcan pinch. He thought Bones had taken care of that when they got back to the Enterprise. Then again, Bones had told him that it might feel stiff for a while. He went on to his quarters on the Enterprise so he could change into something besides his uniform to go to dinner. He thought about that conversation he just had with Spock. He scowled as he realized Spock had not actually told him where he was, but that he was with Scotty and Bones. _Vulcans do not lie._ He had heard Spock say that more than once. He shook his head. No. Spock would not be going behind his back to do something.

When Jim was ready, he left the ship and stood in the port for a moment. He had a feeling that he was on the outside of the loop around this place. "Captain?"

Jim looked to see Scotty coming down the ramp. "Mister Scott."

"Jim, I just wanted to tell you that I meant no disrespect to you in my actions," Scotty said.

"Scotty, your intentions are not what people see. They see me losing control of my crew. I shouldn't have to tell you how hard it has been for me to earn respect as a captain."

Scotty frowned as he felt even worse. "I'm sorry, Captain."

"Thank you, Mister Scott."

"I won't leave this ship for anything unless you tell me."

"I appreciate that."

Scotty started back up the ramp. "Mister Scott, where were you guys when I contacted Spock?" Jim asked.

Scotty just stared at him a moment. Was he going to lie to him now too? "We were discussing the situation," he said.

Jim could see that he was not going to get a straight answer. "Okay, Scotty." He turned and walked on, wondering if he was wrong about Spock.

As Jim rounded the corner where Admiral Fern's office was, Spock was coming out of the office. "Spock. What brings you back here?" Jim asked.

Spock was silent a moment, but he could see that Jim knew they were not being completely honest with him. "I was simply conversing with the Admiral further," he said.

"About what?"

"He was very curious about what we had all discussed."

"Did he call you back here?"

"Not exactly, Captain. I was also curious."

"Curious, huh?" Jim would never have thought he would see the day when Spock would dance around the truth.

"Captain, are you feeling well?"

"Why do you ask?"

"You seem withdrawn and…quiet."

"I have a lot on my mind, Spock." Jim stepped closer to him. "I'll tell you that I would love to be going after these people, but we have been ordered to stay out of it. I had very clear orders from Admiral Carson, and I've already told you what my consequences would be if I get involved."

"I understand, Captain."

"I just wish there was some way we could put Rura Penthe out of business for good."

"I would be happy to take any action that you want to take, Jim. It is an inhumane place."

"Spock, you remember what happened when we neutralized a volcano to save a world," Jim said. "You know it was the humane thing to do. How can you turn your back when you can do something to help the situation?"

"I understand, Captain," Spock replied. "I still believe that we made the right decision at that time."

"I lost my ship. And this time, I would most likely lose more than that. I don't have Captain Pike to speak for me anymore. Admiral Carson would be more than happy to ground me permanently."

"I do not understand his hostility toward you."

"It's not hostility, Spock. It's more like…he just doesn't think I should be in the position I'm in. He was there when we barged in to talk to Admiral Marcus. You remember."

"Yes, Captain. It was a very tense time for all of Starfleet. However, you have proven yourself as a good leader since then, even to the point of giving your life. There should be no more questions."

"I think there will always be questions in his mind. Just don't do anything without telling me."

"Captain, if you do not know about a situation, it cannot be blamed on you."

"Yes it can. It would mean that I've lost control of my crew. I don't know what they're doing, and they're not following my orders."

Jim's communicator chirped at him. "Kirk here."

"Captain, you just received a message from Admiral Carson," Scotty said.

Jim looked at Spock. "Wow. His ears must be burning." He turned back to the communicator. "Okay, Scotty. What did he say?"

"He wants to know why you haven't written your report yet."

"I really haven't had time. Tell him I'll have it as soon as possible."

"Yes sir."

Jim ended that communication. "See you later, Spock," he said.

"Yes, Captain."

Jim walked on and soon arrived at the restaurant that Carol had specified for their dinner. He was not sure he was hungry and he was not exactly sure why he was in such a mood, but he had gone through a lot at that prison. He was still feeling rather tired and his arm still felt stiff. He should have mentioned that to Spock as well. All he remembered about that was that Spock grabbed him and then his brain, neck, and shoulder exploded with pain.

He went on into the restaurant and sat down at a table to wait since Carol was not there yet. He hoped this restaurant specialized in earth food. He wanted something ordinary. He was early so he could sit and think until Carol arrived. A waitress came and brought him a menu. "I'm waiting for someone," he said. "I'll order later after she arrives."

"Could I get you something to drink while you wait, Captain Kirk?"

Jim thought he should be used to everyone knowing his name by now but it still surprised him a little when a complete stranger called him by his name. "Anything that isn't alcoholic," he said.

"Something fruity?"

"Yes."

"I know just the thing."

Jim saw Elana come into the restaurant. He wondered what she had been discussing with Admiral Fern. He thought about asking her but he was sure he did not need to know. However, she saw him and came over to his table. "Captain Kirk, do you mind if I join you?"

"I'm expecting someone," Jim said.

"Oh. Well, do you mind if I sit and chat while you wait?"

"She should be here any moment."

"That's alright."

Elana sat down across from him. "I'm pretty sure we're going along with the plan," she said. "I don't think it's going to be as difficult as you think."

"I think it's going to be _more_ difficult than you think. I'm not sure those people are going to be so easily fooled. She really had them under her command, even those guards. If you get into trouble there, how do you expect to get out?"

"We're working all that out. Why don't you go along with me?"

Jim was surprised that she would ask him that. "I can't. I've been ordered to stay out of it."

"That's why I like having my own ship and my own rules."

"I'm sure it is, but when you have it like that and you get into trouble, there's no one to call."

"You find a way out…like you used to. You didn't always depend on Starfleet. Everyone knows about you."

"So I've heard, but I've learned a lot in the last few years."

The waitress brought Jim's drink, and then she gave Elana a menu. "Oh, she's not who I'm waiting for," Jim said.

Elana smiled. "I'm just here until his date arrives. I would like a drink and a menu though, and a table."

"Yes, Ma'am," the waitress said.

Jim was disappointed that she got the table next to his. He did not want her interfering with his date with Carol. He looked at his menu wondering what he wanted to eat and did not notice when Carol walked in. She smiled and walked over to the table. "Is this seat taken, Captain?" she asked.

Jim stood up. "Of course not," he said.

Carol sat down and Jim sat back down. "Sorry I'm a little late," she said.

"It's okay after my falling asleep while you were talking to me."

"I should have known you were too tired to engage in conversation."

"This has been a long day."

"Oh? You've been busy today?"

"Not exactly, but I feel like I've toured this whole station."

"So, where's your next stop?"

"Don't know that yet. Hopefully, it won't be anything like that last one."

"Let's hope not."

"So, what's good here?"

"I have no idea. I've never actually eaten here."

"I guess we'll discover it together then. At least they have some ordinary earth food."

"Yes."

After dinner, Jim and Carol walked around more. Jim thought it was kinda like being in a big shopping mall, but it was not all shopping. They went to the observation deck and Jim told her about the events of the day. "It's very hard to stay out of it," he said. "My crew is having an even harder time than I am."

"I can understand. I'm also not sure what you could do, other than getting into trouble again."

"Sometimes you can't avoid trouble when you're trying to bring justice." Jim looked out into space. "What do you think, Carol? Do you think I should just defy Admiral Carson and do something anyway?"

"What would you do? You can't go onto that Klingon prison planet and just destroy it. You can't even go into Klingon space. You could get the whole crew killed and the ship destroyed. Surely you haven't forgotten."

"Surely you haven't forgotten that it wasn't the Klingons who attacked us."

"And don't you find it odd that they never attacked?"

Jim scowled at that. "What do you mean? They didn't know the Enterprise was there."

"They must have guessed there was something. They should have even picked up on the message you sent to John Harrison."

"No. They wouldn't…" Jim paused a moment. "You think that's how they knew where we were on Kronos?"

"It's possible."

"But if they detected the signal, they would have known where it came from. I suppose you have some theory as to why they didn't attack the Enterprise. After all, your father was hoping we would fire those torpedoes and start a war with the Klingons."

"Yes, but it still doesn't explain how things went. The Klingons never showed up, even when his ship arrived. You have to admit we were there for quite a while."

"Even sent you over to that moon with Bones," Jim said thoughtfully. "You think the woman on Badoran had something to do with their silence?"

"I believe she has a link to Starfleet. She may have even known he was coming."

"How? You didn't even know it."

"I don't know."

"All this is kinda far out. There's no proof of any of it. We're just speculating. You think she's been out here all this time?"

"You said the Admiral believes it. And if it _is_ her, she _has_ been out there all this time, Jim."

"I saw her, but I haven't seen a picture of that captain. I didn't know about her until Admiral Fern told me."

They were silent a moment. "You realize what we're saying, don't you?" Jim asked.

"What?"

"In order for her to have that kind of information, she would have to be linked to Starfleet somewhere at the top." Jim looked at her. "Are we looking at a conspiracy? That's hard to believe."

"It happens."

"All over dilithium crystals? Technology? What? I don't believe the Klingons would cooperate with Starfleet for anything."

"Not with Starfleet, but someone in Starfleet. After all, Solan was delivering to the prison planet. He's not Klingon, so it's not impossible."

"That's true."

Jim sat down on the bench. "Why don't we talk about something else?" he asked.

"I'd love to," Carol replied. "Like, whether you really intend to retire from space in two years."

Jim frowned. "I can say that I _intend_ to. I intended to before, but circumstances caused me to stay."

"You didn't tell me."

"I know, but I was kinda in the middle of stopping a maniac from destroying Yorktown at the time. I just didn't have time."

"I should have stayed with you. I should have married you."

Jim looked at her. "You know, that's not an easy question for a man to ask."

Carol smiled. "Why don't you ask again and see if it's easier?"


	14. Chapter 14

The next morning…or Jim supposed it was morning because he was waking up, he still did not feel very rested. He thought he had slept on both sides of the bed, the middle, both ends and the corners. He had not slept well because he had too much on his mind. He put his hands behind his head. His sleeplessness had nothing to do with Carol…it was that mission the Admiral was sending Elana on. He just wondered what Admiral Carson would do if Admiral Fern ordered him to go on that mission and threatened to charge him with disobeying an order.

Jim could not believe he was thinking that. Besides, the Admiral would never agree to that, and Admiral Carson would probably court marshal both of them.

He had not rented a room in the space station. He did not see the point when he had his own room right here on the Enterprise. His communicator whistled at him. He got it off the side table. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Captain Kirk, do you always answer your communicator like that?" Admiral Fern asked.

Jim sat up. "No sir. Sorry sir. I thought it was probably…"

"Never mind that. I want you in my office at 0800."

Jim looked at the time. That was an hour. "Yes sir."

"See you then."

Jim got up and got ready to go to that meeting. He was wearing his dress uniform this time. First, he wanted to go and see Scotty. He walked down to Engineering and found Scotty working at a monitor. "Captain," he said. "What brings you down here?"

"I just came to see how you're doing," Jim replied.

"Everything's going fine. Something you needed?"

"No. I was just…you don't have to stay here to eat, Scotty. I guess I was a little rough on you yesterday. I…"

"No, Captain. I deserved every bit of it."

"Well, I'll see you later, Scotty."

"Yes, Captain."

Jim left the Enterprise and put his hat on which he hardly ever did. He headed for Admiral Fern's office. "Jim!"

Jim looked to see Carol coming toward him, and she looked very cheerful. She gave him a kiss as she hugged his arm. "Where are you headed?" she asked.

"I have a meeting with Admiral Fern," Jim said. "You want to go with me?"

"Sure."

They went to Admiral Fern's office, and he was sitting at his desk as usual. "Morning, Captain Kirk," he said. He looked at Carol. "Doctor Marcus."

"Morning sir," Jim replied. "I hope you don't mind me bringing Doctor Marcus with me."

"Not at all. Have a seat."

Jim and Carol sat down to hear what the Admiral had to say. "As you know, I've been talking most of the day yesterday, and a lot of the night," he said. "I need your crew, Captain Kirk. I know you've been thinking about all this as much or more than I have."

"I have been thinking about it, Admiral. Have you spoken to Admiral Carson?

"I am going to do that this morning. I was hoping you would join me."

Jim was surprised at that suggestion. "I would rather not, Sir. I've already spoken to him as I told you."

"Yes, you told me, but I think we can make a good argument together."

"With all due respect, Admiral, I would rather not. Admiral Carson told me in no uncertain terms that I was to stay out of it, and I just sent my report in last night. He requested it yesterday. Maybe we should just wait. You never know, he might change his mind."

"I'll talk to you later, Captain Kirk. I intend to make a very good argument to Carson about this. You and I have seen what goes on out here."

"Maybe you should invite Admiral Carson to the space station. Show him what goes on."

"Trouble with that idea is that there might be nothing happening when he comes. But that's not your trouble is it, Captain? I'll let you know how it goes."

"Thank you sir."

Jim and Carol left that office. Jim had a deep feeling of dread now. "What are you thinking about?" Carol asked.

"I'm thinking maybe the Enterprise is going to depart sooner than we planned," Jim said. "I think I want to get away from Klingon space."

"I thought you wanted to be involved. Admiral Fern may convince Admiral Carson."

"I just can't shake this feeling that there's more behind this, and it's a lot bigger than we think."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'm just paranoid. I'm hungry too. Let's go eat."

While they were eating, Bones walked into the restaurant where they were. He came over to the table. "Morning, Jim," he said. "So, what's going on this morning?"

"Admiral Fern is hard at it this morning," Jim replied. "I don't think he's going to let this drop."

Bones sat down in a chair. "Sorry for invading your date, but I don't think he should let it drop."

"Why not?"

"Because we're all going to be wondering about it until something happens."

"And you just can't stand the suspense?"

"You can't either. Why don't you admit it?"

"I'm just waiting for someone to tell me what to do, Bones. Otherwise, we're getting on the Enterprise and we're getting out of here as far as we can get."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just don't like being here anymore."

"It is kinda dull. Everything looks the same. It's certainly not a planet."

"It's more than that. You ever just had a feeling of dread?"

Bones scowled at that. "I get a feeling of dread every time I go to a new planet. I guess anyone could have that feeling after what you went through," he said. "Why don't you go see a counselor here?"

"Are you saying I'm crazy?"

"No. Maybe you're just a little nervous after all that. I went and talked to one yesterday. It's dull around here, but I kinda like being here around a lot of other people and beings."

"Jim, maybe Doctor McCoy is right," Carol said. "Sometimes it helps to talk things out with someone."

"I talked to you," Jim replied.

"That's not the same thing. I'm not a counselor."

Jim smiled, and then noticed Bones' amused look. "Is that all you want to talk about, Bones?" he asked.

"I guess," Bones said. "Sorry for interrupting your date." He stood up and leaned over to Jim. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Jim rolled his eyes at that remark. "I won't do some things that you _would_ do."

"Good."

Just then, Spock and Uhura walked in. "Good morning, Captain," Spock said.

"Morning, Spock," Jim replied.

"Have you talked to the Admiral this morning?"

"I have. And just how would you know about that?"

"He informed me last night that he would be speaking to you again this morning."

"Why don't you guys just join us?" Jim asked. "Bones, you might as well stay too."

They all managed to get around the table. "Admiral Fern intends to convince Admiral Carson that something needs to be done," Jim said. "I don't know how that will go. Can you believe he wanted me to join him?"

"Why did you decline?" Spock asked.

"I don't want to argue with Admiral Carson again. I already talked to him."

"The two of you together might persuade him."

Jim leaned on the table. "There's no way to do anything about the prison without starting a war with the Klingons," he said. "You do realize that, don't you? I think that's why Admiral Carson is hesitant."

"I agree, and I completely understand."

"If she can detect ships in the system, she could call the Klingons in for help, and it would be impossible to sneak in there."

"Except for a cloaked ship which Elana has."

"Yes, I know that, but she's in charge of that ship and we don't really know what a risk taker she is nor what her true goal is. Why would she agree to go in there?"

"That's a good question, Jim," Carol said.

"If the Admiral wants to send us in there, I want to know the answer to that question before we leave here, and if I don't like the answer, we're not going anywhere but away from here. And if we do go, the Enterprise is going to be close by."

"That is reasonable, Captain," Spock said.

They were all silent for a few moments, and then ordered their meals. "I get the feeling this is going to be another long day," Bones said. "And it's going to be another one of those complicated situations. How did I ever get myself into this?"

"You must have something in you that likes adventure," Jim said.

"It is my opinion that the doctor attempts to avoid the mentally challenging areas of a situation by making jokes, or trying to get our minds off the true situation," Spock remarked.

"Are you saying that's a bad thing?" Bones asked.

"I did not say that. It is only part of your personality, and your way of caring for those around you."

"I didn't know you were paying so much attention, Spock."

"Captain, perhaps you should consider sending a different sort of away team," Uhura said.

"What did you have in mind?" Jim asked.

"It's not likely that they would send women to the Klingon prison world. You should let Carol and me accompany Elana to Badoran. Have Scotty rig up a beacon that can be detected through the interference."

Jim was surprised at that suggestion. "I think that's a splendid idea," Carol said.

Jim looked at her with even more surprise. "Wait a minute," he said. "We don't know what to expect down there."

"So?"

"I'm not even sure anyone is going. I hate this waiting. If Admiral Carson still says no, we're leaving here today."

"Do you think he will?"

"Yes, I think he will. He wasn't happy about my even asking him, so unless Admiral Fern has some trick up his sleeve, we'll be departing and putting the whole thing behind us."

"I'll drink to that," Bones said. "Even if it is coffee."

While they were eating and conversing, Jim's communicator whistled. They all suddenly became silent. "Kirk here," he said.

"I want to see you as soon as possible, Captain Kirk," Admiral Fern said, sounding very urgent.

"Yes sir."

Jim put his communicator away and looked at the others. "He didn't sound very disappointed," he said. "Why don't we all go see him?"

The others all stood up, ready to go along with him. Jim headed for the Admiral's office feeling that dread again…wondering if they were about to step into the middle of something very volatile.

They soon arrived at Admiral Fern's office. Jim looked at the others as they were at the door. "Well, this is it," he said.

They went into the office where Admiral Fern was waiting for them. "Captain, we have the go-ahead," he said.

Jim had not been expecting that. He was not sure what to say. "So, we're going to Badoran?" he asked.

"Yes. We're going to find out who that woman is and how she got in that position and how she became involved with the Klingons."

"Admiral, I would like to see a picture of this captain you say was lost in space."

Admiral Fern brought up a file on his display and Jim, Spock, and Bones knew it was definitely the woman they had seen on Badoran. "That's her alright," Jim said. He looked at the Admiral. "If we go down there to confront her, we may have to use force."

"That's what stun beams are for, Captain," Admiral Fern said. "There's no reason to harm anyone on the planet, and now that we know what to expect, you can go down there and bring her back here."

"What about the plan that Elana had to go down and convince the people that she's a phony?"

"I'm sure they'll know that when you disable her ability to seem like she can perform magic."

"I'm not so sure of that, Admiral."

"Admiral, the people of this world are truly convinced, and she has complete rule over them," Spock said. "I do not believe simply taking her from the planet will convince them. It may even stir up trouble with the Klingons if the people of the planet contact them."

Admiral Fern leaned back in his chair and looked at Jim. "Whatever you do, I want it done soon," he said.

"What about Rura Penthe?" Jim asked.

"We'll talk about that later. Dismissed."

Jim and the others left that office. They all noticed that he was very quiet as they walked down the corridor. "I, and I'm sure everyone else, would like you to share your thoughts with us, Captain," Spock said.

"I can't right now, Spock," Jim replied. "Just get the crew together."

"Yes, Captain."

Spock, Uhura, and Bones stopped as they watched Jim and Carol walk on toward the Enterprise. "What do you think is wrong?" Uhura asked.

"I am not certain," Spock replied. "But I am certain that Jim will tell us when he is ready."

"More trouble, that's what it is," Bones said and headed for the Enterprise himself.

"He's probably right," Uhura said. "Don't you think it's odd that Admiral Carson changed his mind so suddenly?"

"What are you suggesting?" Spock asked.

"I'm not suggesting anything, but I know the captain is worried about something."

"I agree, but I will assemble the crew."

Jim went straight to Engineering. "Scotty, have you received any messages from Admiral Carson?" he asked.

"No sir," Scotty replied. "I would have told you right away."

Jim nodded. "Thanks, Scotty."

"Something wrong, Captain?"

"Admiral Fern says he's been authorized by Admiral Carson to send us to Badoran to bring Captain Serena Brather back with us."

"I thought Admiral Carson told us to stay out of it."

"He did. Admiral Fern says he had a conference with him and he changed his mind."

Scotty considered that a moment. "Do you have some reason to think otherwise, Captain?"

Jim looked at him. "I'll talk to you later, Scotty. You're no longer confined."

"Yes, Captain."

Jim left Engineering and headed for the Bridge. He met Carol on the way. "When are you going to tell the rest of us what you're thinking?" she asked.

"I don't know what I'm thinking right now," Jim said.

"You don't think Admiral Carson really approved it, do you?"

Jim looked at her. "I can't say that."

"Why not?"

"I would be calling Admiral Fern a liar."

"If it's true, what's wrong with it?"

"When you start calling an Admiral a liar, you better have some evidence."

"That may be true at Starfleet headquarters, but you should let your crew know how you really feel so that we can back you up and support you."

"Don't worry. I'll let you all know soon."

Jim was hoping that Uhura was on her way to the Bridge as he entered. It was only a few minutes before she was there. "Uhura, I want you to send a message to Admiral Carson that I need to speak to him as soon as possible. It's urgent."

"Yes sir," Uhura said.

"I'll be back soon. Let me know as soon as you get an answer."

Jim went to his quarters and got into his usual uniform. As he exited his quarters, Bones was there back in his own uniform too. "Jim, don't tell me that you think the Admiral is lying," he said.

"Okay, I won't tell you," Jim replied.

"What are you gonna do?"

"I don't know yet."

They got into the turbo lift, and Spock entered as well. "Captain, the crew are on their way to the ship," he said.

"He thinks the Admiral is lying," Bones blurted.

"Bones, I didn't say that," Jim said.

"You don't have to say it."

"Captain, do you believe Admiral Fern wants to start a war with the Klingons?"

"I don't know what he wants. We're about to find out more about him."

They walked onto the Bridge. "Captain," Uhura said as she walked over to them. "I can't get a message out to Starfleet. Something is interfering with the transmission. We can communicate within the station but not outside it."

Jim scowled. "Jim, you can't go through with this," Bones said.

"What am I supposed to do, Bones?" Jim asked.

"You can do nothing unless you can get a message through to Admiral Carson," Spock said.

"I'll keep trying, Captain," Uhura said.

"Uhura, I want you to look up everything you can find about Admiral Fern," Jim said. "Send it all to my ready room. Spock, let me know when everyone is aboard. As soon as they are, have Mister Sulu take us out, but we're going to stop short of Badoran. If we can get a message to Admiral Carson from out there, maybe we can get a response soon enough to shed some light on this."

Jim left the Bridge and went to the ready room. He looked out the viewport wondering what was about to happen. This was one of those times that he had no idea what he was supposed to do.

Jim soon had all the information about Admiral Fern. He had been sent to Caleb IV as soon as Admiral Carson had taken office. He had been one who was more likely to argue his point, and he was against some of the policies of Starfleet. Jim sighed as he thought this was getting worse all the time. He had to get a message to Admiral Carson as soon as possible.

Jim's communicator whistled at him. "Kirk here," he said.

"Captain, Admiral Fern has boarded the Enterprise," Spock said. "He intends to go on this mission with us."

"What?"

"This is a highly unusual situation."

"I agree, Mister Spock, and I think we're in a lot of trouble."

"Clarify, Captain."

"I think he's coming aboard to make sure we carry out his plans."

"What do you suggest we do?"

"We still have to get a message to Admiral Carson as soon as possible. He can give us orders."

"We will get a message through."

Jim ended that transmission, and then went down to Engineering, hoping to avoid the Admiral. He found Scotty where he usually was. "Scotty, how is everything?" he asked.

"Purring like a kitten, Captain, and ready to go," Scotty replied.

"Scotty, are you _sure_ everything is perfect?"

Scotty just stared at him a moment. "Maybe I should check that warp drive again before we go off into a volatile situation."

"Good idea. We wouldn't want to be _stranded_ around Badoran."

"Got it, Captain." Scotty leaned closer to him. "Is there a problem?"

"There sure is, Scotty, but maybe we can handle it. We have to have enough time to get a message to Admiral Carson. We have to be away from the space station."

"Clear, Sir."

"Thanks."

Jim left Engineering and wondered how long he could avoid meeting up with the Admiral. He met Mac, Solan, Elana, and Zander in the corridor. "Captain, my ship is on the flight deck," Solan said. "We can use it on this mission if you like."

"Thanks," Jim replied. "Right now, I'm not sure what we're doing on this mission."

"Something wrong?"

"Yeah, but I just can't talk about it right now. You guys make yourselves at home." Jim wondered what Elana was doing there, but he would not ask anymore questions at the moment. He thought she must have been invited by Admiral Fern.

Jim walked on and his communicator whistled again. "Captain, everyone is onboard," Spock said. "Admiral Fern wants to know why you are not on the Bridge."

"I'm…checking things out before we leave," Jim said. "I'll be there soon. Tell Mister Sulu to take us out."

"Yes, Captain."

Jim just stood there in the corridor watching his crew walking past, getting to their stations. They trusted him to lead them and to direct the crew in the right direction. This was not the first time he had been up against an admiral, however. He would not get his crew into the middle of a war between an old, cantankerous admiral and the head of Starfleet.


	15. Chapter 15

Jim walked onto the Bridge as they were moving away from Caleb IV. "Well, it's about time you showed up," Admiral Fern said. "Do you always leave your crew alone when you're leaving port?"

"My crew is very capable of taking care of things here while I'm not on the Bridge, Admiral," Jim replied.

"I'm sure they can. This is a nice ship, Captain. The newest in the fleet as I hear it."

"Yes sir. We lost our other ship."

"I heard about that even way out here."

"We have quarters for you, Admiral, if you'd like to see."

"No, not now, Captain. I think I'm just going to stay here a while."

Jim looked at Uhura as Admiral Fern walked over behind Sulu. She shook her head slightly that she had not gotten through to Admiral Carson. Bones came onto the Bridge, and he and Spock stood wondering what Jim would do next.

"Is it always this quiet on the Bridge when you're moving out?" Admiral Fern asked.

"Well, uh, we're not used to having an Admiral aboard, Sir," Jim said.

Admiral Fern turned to him. "Or are you just nervous about this mission?"

"That too."

"Why were you attempting to send transmissions to Starfleet headquarters before you left port?"

Everyone else looked at Jim to see what he would say. "I just wanted confirmation of the orders," Jim said.

"So you don't trust me," Admiral Fern replied.

"It's not that, Sir, it's just that Admiral Carson had…"

"Ah, and you had to hear it from his mouth that he wanted you to go ahead with this mission."

"Admiral, Captain Kirk is responsible for the crew aboard this ship as well as the ship itself," Spock said. "You must see how he would be apprehensive about such a mission."

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Commander Spock. You will not try to contact Starfleet again while we are on this mission. It will only help the enemy to find our location. Don't make me take over your ship, Captain. After all, I outrank you."

"Yes you do, Sir," Jim replied.

"Why don't you take your seat?"

Jim felt like he was being forced into this mission, and that the Admiral was trying to keep him within his sight. He supposed he would have to rely on Spock and the others to do something. He sat down in the captain's chair. He did not think he had ever felt so uncomfortable in that chair…except maybe when he had taken it from Spock, and he felt like everyone hated him. "Are we ready for warp, Mister Sulu?" he asked.

"Yes sir," Sulu answered as he looked around at Jim.

"Take us out then."

Jim watched as the stars turned into lines. They were on their way now and he just hoped his career was not disappearing with the stars. He also hoped Scotty had gotten his message clearly of what he wanted him to do.

Scotty had gotten the message perfectly. He and Keenser were working on a way to be able to stop the ship before it reached Badoran. Solan walked into Engineering and was directed to where Scotty was. "So, what are we doing?" Solan asked. "I've never worked on an engine or ship like this one. I usually tinker with my own."

"Oh really?" Scotty asked. Then he stopped what he was doing. "Really?" He looked at Solan. "I bet you would know just how to make it look like a warp drive sprung a leak."

Solan just stared at him a moment, but then his arrogant side came through once again. "Probably. Why?"

"Follow me, and I'll tell you."

Solan followed Scotty to the engine room. "See, the captain wants this ship to have a sudden problem so that it cannot reach Badoran just yet," Scotty said.

"Is that a fact?" Solan asked.

"It's a big fact, Pal. We have to make it look like it happened on its own."

"That's the tricky part, isn't it?"

"Absolutely."

"You just show me what to do, and I'll figure out a way to do it."

"We have to be careful not to irradiate everyone on the ship."

"Yeah, that would probably be a good idea." Solan turned to Scotty. "One question: why aren't you doing this yourself?"

"She's my ship, Laddy," Scotty replied.

"Okay."

Jim sat in the captain's chair feeling very nervous. Spock was at the science station which was near Uhura. He glanced at her. She simply shook her head. She had not been able to get a message through to Admiral Carson, so there was no hope of getting one back.

Everyone on the Bridge was silent, and Jim thought the silence made things even worse, but he supposed no one knew what to say. They had been hijacked by an Admiral, and they could do nothing without Admiral Carson's approval.

When they were just at the edge of the system, Sulu began getting a reading, and then Scotty contacted Jim. "Captain, there's a small leak in the warp drive," he said. "We must stop and repair it."

Hope rose in Jim. "Mister Sulu, bring us out of warp," he said.

"No!" Admiral Fern said. "You will not stop this ship."

"Sir, we'll damage the warp drive if we don't stop and repair the leak."

"You can repair it when we reach Badoran." Admiral Fern looked at Sulu. "Keep going." He looked back at Jim. "That was a good try, Captain."

"What do you mean?"

"You would have your engineer damage the ship before you would go into this conflict."

Jim opened a channel to Scotty. "How bad is the leak, Scotty? Will it get worse if we don't stop?" he asked.

"It's hard to tell, Captain, but we cannot fix it without stopping," Scotty said.

"Understood. We will keep going for now, Mister Scott."

Scotty was surprised at that. He had thought sure the captain wanted to stop the ship and would do so. "Something funny going on," he said.

"What do you think it is?" Solan asked.

"We'll know soon enough, but I'm just betting that the Admiral knew who this woman was all along, and he knows exactly what's happening out there."

"And he's going to use the Enterprise for his own agenda?"

"I guess we can do nothing but wait and see."

Jim had come to the same conclusion that Scotty had. He believed Admiral Fern knew exactly who the rogue captain was all along and that he had some ulterior motive for this mission…other than stopping the Klingons from attacking his space station.

"What are your motives for doing this, Admiral?" Jim asked.

"I intend to stop the Klingons from attacking my station," Admiral Fern said. "And from holding people prisoner on that horror of a planet."

"How are you going to do that by going to Badoran?"

"You'll see, Captain Kirk."

"Admiral, I would like to know what's going on now. This is my ship and my crew."

Admiral Fern faced Jim then. "Yes, I knew who she was the whole time, if that's what you're thinking. I really didn't know you were so adamant about the rules now, Kirk. I figured you would be ready to run right in there. We're going to capture that rogue captain, and we're going to take all the technology that she has in her possession on that planet."

"How are you going to do that without anyone there getting hurt? Those people are innocent. They're just naïve about who she is."

"We're going to do our best not to hurt anyone, Kirk. You care a lot for beings you never met, and beings who have imprisoned you, don't you?"

"They've been deceived by her, Admiral. They see her as their queen…for real."

"I understand that, but we don't have to have sympathy for them because of that."

"We were ordered by Admiral Carson not to go."

"Admiral Carson doesn't care what goes on out here. He doesn't care that we're staring into Klingon space all the time, and that they are stealing Starfleet technology."

"I wouldn't say he doesn't care, Admiral Fern. He has to have the approval of…"

"Yes, yes! Always committees! They sit in committees while people suffer and die, Captain! What good does it do?"

"Maybe the system doesn't work like it should, but that's not up to you and me to fix it by going rogue out here."

"Is that what you think I'm doing?"

Jim knew he had said the wrong thing then. "I knew it was no accident that the warp core so conveniently sprung a leak," Admiral Fern said. He looked at Sulu. "Our course better be set for Badoran."

"It is, Admiral," Jim said as he stood up. He would not let him harass his crew. "Anything that has happened has been at my command."

"You have a loyal crew. Maybe too loyal. Even against an Admiral."

Jim was not sure what to say now. Spock came to stand beside him. "Admiral, we believe you have violated a direct order of Admiral Carson, and are taking this ship into a battle without the approval of Starfleet," Spock said. "You will not allow us to contact him to confirm the order. Therefore, we are uncertain of our position in this conflict."

"You'll just do what I say, Mister Spock," Admiral Fern declared. "There is no need to contact Starfleet."

"On the contrary, Admiral, we should have received confirmation from Admiral Carson that he had changed his original orders."

"No more talk. Back to your station, Mister Spock."

Spock looked at Jim, and Jim nodded. They both went back to their places. Jim was certain now that Admiral Carson had not approved this action. He was still not certain of what he should do, however. In order to stop Admiral Fern, they would have to stun him and imprison him.

"Don't even think about going against me, Captain Kirk," Admiral Fern said. "Once this mission is over, things are going to change."

When they came out of warp, they could see Badoran. "Admiral, we shouldn't do this," Jim said.

"You're not doing anything, Captain," Admiral Fern replied. He looked at Sulu. "Keep this ship here. That's an order."

"Yes sir," Sulu said.

"Come with me, Captain Kirk."

Jim stood up. "Spock, take care of the ship," he said.

Spock watched as Jim followed the Admiral from the Bridge. Bones walked over to him. "What are we going to do?" he asked.

"Only what Jim tells us to do," Spock said.

"You think he's going to take Jim down to the planet?"

"I do not know."

Jim followed Admiral Fern to the transporter room while he contacted Elana. "Admiral, are you taking her down there?" Jim asked.

"Of course," Fern answered.

"Why am I here with you?"

"You're going to be watched closely, Captain."

Jim frowned. "What do you mean, Sir?"

"I won't let you interfere."

"I have to tell you that I don't think this is a good idea. There's more going on here than we know."

"Maybe more than you know, Kirk. You'll find out more later."

"I would like to know more now, Sir."

They entered the transporter room, and soon Elana was there dressed in her usual attire. Jim had thought she was going to try and convince the people down there that they had been deceived, but she did not seem to be dressed to take the current queen's place. There were also four others whom Jim did not know were aboard his ship, who stepped onto the transporter pad, plus two others who were armed stepped up on either side of Jim.

Jim looked at them and then at the Admiral. "What is this?" he asked.

"They're going to watch after you, Captain."

"Am I a prisoner on my own ship now?"

"If you choose to be."

"Put us down right in the middle of that village," Admiral Fern said to Scotty. "I'll contact you when we're ready to come back. Be waiting."

"Yes sir," Scotty replied.

"Energize."

Jim watched as the six disappeared from the transporter pad. He looked at his two guards who were dressed in Starfleet uniforms with red shirts. "Well, I guess you guys have decided to betray Starfleet as well," Jim said.

"We're following orders, Sir," one of them said.

"And just what are those orders?"

"To keep you here and stop you from contacting Starfleet."

"You'll even go so far as to stun me, right? Or kill me?"

"We would not kill you, Captain."

"That's good to know."

Jim grabbed his communicator and turned away from his guards. "Ensign McCoy," he said. "Scan the ship. See if there are any others onboard the ship besides our own crew."

Spock heard the order on the Bridge and waited to see what McCoy would find. "There are approximately ten others on the ship besides our crew, Captain," McCoy said.

Jim looked at his two guards who only watched him. "The Admiral brought others on the ship without telling us."

"Why would he not tell us, Captain?" Spock asked.

"I don't know, but I can only think of one reason. He didn't want us to know they're here until now. I have two…bodyguards."

"Captain?"

"Four went with him down to the planet, along with Elana. And there are two guarding me, plus now we know there are ten others."

Jim waited for a reply from Spock, but he did not get one. "Spock?" There was no reply. "Spock?"

Jim stood there dumbfounded for a moment. He could not hope to know what the Admiral was intending to do. However, he knew they had to stop him. Whatever it was could be nothing good if he was going to all this trouble to try and take over the ship. He looked at Scotty who still sat at his post at the transporter. "I'll see you later, Mister Scott."

"Aye, Captain."

Jim left the transporter room with his two guards in tow. He knew they would act if they thought he was trying to form a plan against the Admiral.

Jim's communicator whistled at him. "Kirk here."

"Captain, one of the officers has stunned one of our security officers," Spock said.

"Take them all into custody then. Put them in the Brig. No one is taking over my ship. This ends now, consequences or no."

"Yes, Captain."

Jim suddenly grabbed the weapon of one of his guards and shoved him into the other one. Then he stunned both of them. "I need security outside the transporter room," he said. "I have two prisoners. Mister Spock, make sure we get all our uninvited guests."

"Yes, Captain."

Jim switched to a different channel. "Lieutenant Uhura."

"Yes Captain," she answered.

"Get a message to Admiral Carson."

"I've already done that, Sir."

"Any replies yet?"

"Not yet, Sir."

"Let me know as soon as you get anything."

"Yes, Captain."

Jim took both the blasters from his two prisoners and headed down the corridor as security officers arrived to take them to the Brig. "How is everything going, Mister Spock?" he asked into his communicator.

"We have lost track of four of the intruders, Captain," Spock answered.

"I'm pretty sure the admiral knows what's happening by now."

"It is likely."

"I want everyone on alert for these stowaways. We have to take control of this situation, and keep control of the ship."


	16. Chapter 16

Jim hurried down the corridor, keeping his blaster ready, and set on stun. He did not know where the intruders were now. They had not been seen on surveillance.

Suddenly, his communicator whistled at him. "Captain, there's a ship powering up in the shuttle bay," Sulu informed him.

"What ship?" Jim asked.

"Looks like Elana's ship."

"Can you get a tractor beam on it?"

"No sir. It's equipped with some sort of deflector."

"They must be taking it down to the Admiral."

Jim supposed the Admiral was going to go through with his plans even if he had to use some other ship besides the Enterprise. He did not want to get the Enterprise involved in anything, but Solan had offered his ship. "Scotty," he said into the communicator.

"Yes, Captain," Scotty answered.

"Is Solan still with you?"

"Aye."

"Tell him to meet me in the shuttle bay."

Jim arrived at the shuttle bay after a few minutes, and Solan arrived soon after. "We're going down there," Jim said. "I don't know what's going on but we're not going to let Admiral Fern do whatever he's planning to do. You offered your ship. Does that offer still stand?"

"Yes, Captain," Solan replied. "What's your plan?"

"I'm not sure yet. Get the ship ready."

Solan went to his ship, and Jim contacted Spock. "I'm going down there with Solan," Jim said. "Make sure everything stays under control on the ship."

"Captain, do you believe it is wise to go down to the planet?" Spock asked.

"We have to stop him, Spock. I just have a feeling that there's something else going on here. I don't know what that is yet, but we have to find out."

"Do you believe the Admiral intends to involve the Klingons?"

"I do. But I don't believe he would be involving them if he didn't think he had some sort of advantage. He seems very confident."

"I agree, Captain. We have not received any message from Admiral Carson as of yet."

"I guess we'll have to handle this ourselves, Spock."

"As we always have, Captain. Do you intend to take anyone with you on this mission?"

Jim had been thinking of that. "I want Lieutenant Uhura ready in ten minutes, as well as you, Bones, and Ensign McCoy. Mister Scott and Mister Sulu will be in charge of the Enterprise."

"Yes sir."

"Mister Scott, take care of the ship."

"Yes, sir."

Spock, Bones, Uhura, and Ensign McCoy were soon at the shuttle bay, and they all boarded Solan's ship and left the Enterprise. "What is your plan, Captain?" Spock asked.

"We're going to find out what he's doing," Jim said. "If he intends to attack the Klingons, I have to assume that he knows about something that Captain Brather has that we don't know about."

"Such as a weapon?"

"Wouldn't you want a sure weapon if you were going to attack the Klingons?"

"Absolutely. "

"You think the Admiral has known about this all along?" Uhura asked.

"I do, and I think he intended to do this a long time ago and when the Enterprise arrived, he just took advantage of the situation."

"How do we stop him if he thinks he has a weapon powerful enough to fight the Klingons?"

"And why hasn't Captain Brather used it? Instead she makes friends with the Klingons?"

"Perhaps she doesn't know what she has, Captain," Spock said.

"And Admiral Fern does?"

"We do not know the complete history of these two individuals, nor the reasons that Admiral Carson and Admiral Fern are at such odds with each other."

"There has to be something."

"What causes two men to be at such odds?" Uhura asked. "Power…love?"

Jim scowled. "Are you saying maybe their rival is over a woman?"

"Who knows?"

"Well, we'll have to find out about that later. Right now, we have to find out what he has down there."

"What if he goes into Klingon space?" Bones asked. "Are we going to chase him in there?"

"Bones, we can't just sit by and let him attack the Klingons if we can stop him. I don't intend to get us into a Klingon prison again."

As they neared Badoran, an alarm began beeping. "There's a ship leaving the planet," Solan said. "Looks like Elana's ship."

"That was fast," Jim said. "Whatever he was after, he knew right where to get it."

"We going down to the planet or going after them?"

Jim thought for a moment. "Captain, it might be wise if we knew what we're facing before we go after him," Spock said. "If he has some sort of weapon that he thinks will be formidable against the Klingons, he may have no qualms about using it on us."

"On the other hand, if we go down there, he may use it before we can stop him," Jim replied. "But you're right. Take us down, Solan."

Jim wanted to know what had gone on down there on the planet too. They descended into the atmosphere and soon came into view of the village. "I'm not detecting any life forms, Captain," Solan said.

"There has to be something down there," Jim replied. "There was a whole village full of people there. He couldn't have taken them all with him on that ship. Maybe they're still jamming our scanners."

As they did a fly-by of the village, they did not see anyone there. "Something's not right here," Uhura said, stating everyone's thoughts.

"Set the ship down," Jim said.

Solan landed the ship. "Keep it ready to leave in a hurry," Jim said. "Ensign, you stay here with Solan."

Jim, Bones, Spock, and Uhura left the ship. The village was eerily quiet. "I'm not getting any life readings, Jim," Bones said.

"Nor am I," Spock added.

They were all baffled now. "Let's check the palace," Jim said.

They went over to the cave that served as the palace and went inside. Serena Brather was lying on the dais. Bones hurried over to her and scanned her. "She's alive," he said. "But she's very weak. She looks like she's been slapped around too."

"What happened to everyone else?" Jim wondered out loud. "Are they hiding?"

"We're not picking up any readings," Spock said.

"They couldn't have just disappeared. What about the rest of the planet?"

"It does not appear that they have spread over the entire planet."

"And whatever was jamming us before isn't here anymore."

Jim opened his communicator. "Kirk to Enterprise, are you reading this?" he asked.

"We hear you loud and clear, Captain," Scotty answered.

"Good. Just checking. Whatever was blocking us before isn't here now. Do you detect any technology on the planet?"

Scotty was silent a moment. "Nothing working, Captain, but about two kilometers north of the village, it looks like a ship."

"Thanks, Scotty. I want you to beam Bones and the queen to the Enterprise. Make sure there are guards in the medical bay."

"Aye, Captain."

Bones and the woman soon disappeared. "Are we going to find that ship?" Spock asked.

"I don't think we should take the time to do that right now," Jim replied. "We need to find out where Admiral Fern is going."

"I don't think we can do anything about what he's doing at this point, Captain," Uhura said. "With all due respect, I believe we should just gather evidence and report this to Starfleet. I feel like we will be going into danger if we go after him."

"I must agree, Captain," Spock said. "Whatever the Admiral has planned, he is well on his way."

Jim nodded. "We still haven't gotten a response from Admiral Carson," Jim said. "I don't understand why he hasn't answered by now."

"Perhaps he is on his way here," Spock suggested.

"And he's going to find us out here at Badoran, right where he told us not to come."

"We are all witnesses that you had no control over the situation, Jim."

"Well, I'm not sure that will make much difference, although I do appreciate it. Uhura, I think you should go back to the Enterprise and keep trying to contact Starfleet. Make sure you find out where Admiral Carson is. Spock, Ensign McCoy, and I will go see about this ship."

"Yes sir," Uhura replied.

Jim looked around them in the palace. "What did she have in here?"

"We may never know," Spock said.

"How did he know?"

"It is a puzzle."

Jim, Spock, and Ensign McCoy boarded Solan's ship and he took them to the area where the other ship should be. "Do you see what I see?" Jim asked. "It must be her ship."

"It must have crashed here," Spock said. "But why?"

"Maybe we can find out when we get in there."

They left Solan's ship and went out to the _Pinkerton._ The power was completely off in the ship, but Jim was hoping they could get it back on if they tried. "It seems to be mostly intact except where it crash landed," he said.

"She must have decided to stay here because they made her their queen," Spock said.

"Hopefully she can tell us more when she's awake. Let's try to download the ship's logs and we can find out more about what happened."

As they got inside the ship, it was very dark, of course. Just like any other ship, the Pinkerton made groaning noises because of its unusual position on the ground. "I hate those sounds," Ensign McCoy said. "It sounds like it's alive."

Jim remembered the first time he ever heard a sound like that. It was definitely eerie. They made their way to the Bridge. Jim shined his light into the darkness and could see that other than dust, cracked monitors, and the cracked viewport, it seemed untouched. "Doesn't look like anyone has been in here in a long time," he said.

"I would agree, Captain," Spock replied.

"Find the ship's logs, Spock. McCoy and I are going to look around the captain's quarters."

McCoy followed Jim from the Bridge and they went to the Captain's quarters which was usually located close to the Bridge. While they were in there, suddenly the power came on. Jim looked around them. "Spock, I hope you did that," he said into his communicator.

"Yes, Captain," Spock replied.

"It's definitely a lot easier to see with the power on." Jim looked around the room and then he looked at Ensign McCoy. "Do you notice something different about this room?"

"Like what?" McCoy asked.

Jim rubbed his gloved hand across the table in the room and held it up so McCoy could see it. "No dust, "he said.

McCoy was not sure what to say. "Someone's been living here?"

"Either this room is sealed where dust can't get in, or someone's been in this room recently, and most likely staying in it."

Jim grabbed his communicator. "Spock, scan this ship for life signs," he said.

Spock scanned the ship. "There is one life form, Captain," he said. "They appear to be on the other side of the wall from you."

"In an access tube?"

"Possibly."

Jim walked over to the wall and looked for an access hatch. He found the access hatch and opened it. He looked in to see a young woman in the access tube. He moved in time to avoid a stun bolt. "Hey! I'm Captain James T. Kirk!" he said. "We're not here to hurt you!"

"Captain Kirk?"

"Yes!"

Jim looked into the tube again, and he could see the surprise on the woman's face. "Come on out of there," he said.

She hesitated a moment but then she came out. She was a humanoid with very bright green eyes, and red hair. She was not wearing a Starfleet uniform but she had a badge. "Who are you?" Jim asked.

"I'm Tabitha."

"How long have you been here?"

"Since the ship went down."

"Have you been living with no power in the ship?"

"No. Only sometimes."

"Were you part of this crew?"

"Yes."

"Did Captain Brather know you were here?"

"She didn't search for me."

"What happened to the ship?"

"We were only curious about this planet. We had picked up the artifact, and then we…"

Jim waited for her to go on. "You what? And what artifact are you talking about? Where did you get it?"

"The Admiral had been looking for it a long time."

"The Admiral? What Admiral?"

"Admiral Fern."

"Wait. You've lost me. What did he want with an artifact?"

"We found out it wasn't an artifact, but a weapon."

Jim's surprise was evident at that. He hoped they were not facing anything like what they did before. "What weapon?"

"You can't control it if you're not a telepath! Captain Brather didn't know it!"

Jim was completely dumbfounded now. Spock walked in. "Captain, I have the ship's archives," he said.

"Spock, I think we have got a very big problem," Jim said.

Just then, Jim's communicator whistled. "Kirk here," he said.

"Jim, Captain Brather is awake," Bones said. "You're gonna want to hear this."

"I have a feeling that I don't want to hear it but I'm going to. We'll be up soon."

Jim ended the transmission. "Bring her," he said. "We're going back to the Enterprise."

They left the old ship and went out to Solan's ship. "You find anything?" Solan asked.

"Just more problems," Jim replied. "Let's get back to the Enterprise fast."

Solan lifted the ship off and they were on their way. Jim sat there quiet as they left the atmosphere of Badoran. He could not understand what happened to the inhabitants of that world. He had a feeling that he was about to find out, however.


	17. Chapter 17

Jim exited Solan's ship, and the others followed him. Their guest/prisoner, Tabitha, was amazed at the ship. It was much different than the one she was used to, and there were people on this one.

Bones and Uhura met Jim as he was leaving the shuttle bay. "Captain, we still have not received any transmissions from Admiral Carson," Uhura said.

"That's strange," Jim replied. "Are you sure the message got through?"

"I'm positive, Sir. As a matter of fact, I talked to his secretary. She said he was out, but she would get him the message."

"Did you tell her this is very urgent?"

"I did, Captain."

"Okay."

Bones was waiting his turn to talk. "Jim, Captain Brather says they came across some sort of weapon…"

"I know, Bones," Jim replied. He pointed to their guest. "That's Tabitha. She was part of the crew on the _Pinkerton._ I don't know any details yet, but they came across some weapon that's controlled telepathically."

"Yes, and that's why she was on Badoran. It was how she became somewhat allies with the Klingons."

"Well, why did she…never mind. I'll hear it from her."

They walked on toward the medical bay. "Jim, Admiral Fern took that weapon, and he has Elana with him," Bones said.

Jim stopped mid-stride and looked at Bones. "He had all this planned," he said. "That must have been…"

Jim walked on. He wanted to get to that medical bay and find out more about this. When he entered, Captain Brather was sitting up, but there were two guards watching her. "Captain Kirk," she said.

Jim frowned. "Captain Brather. I think we have a lot to talk about."

"Why don't you just call me Serena?"

"You can call me Captain Kirk. Why did you send us to that prison? Why didn't you tell us what happened?"

"I knew if you found out, the weapon would no longer be controlled by the Badorans, and Admiral Fern would get it! Now, you have succeeded at letting him get it. He's going to destroy the Klingons with that weapon, especially that prison!"

Jim knew what that feeling of dread was now because it was overwhelming him now. "How can we stop him? What happened to your crew?"

"We didn't know the weapon had to be controlled telepathically. It destroyed the rest of my crew. I barely escaped and the Badorans helped me."

"Why didn't it destroy your ship?"

"It's not that kind of weapon. The crew simply…ceased to exist."

"What? It incinerated them? What?"

"I'm not sure. All I know is, they're gone."

"Why didn't you report this to Starfleet?"

"I couldn't let Admiral Fern get that weapon. He wanted to attack the Klingons. He knew exactly what we had. He had sent me to find that _artifact,_ claiming that it was a relic that had been lost by his people long ago. It was all a lie."

"I've never heard of a weapon like this."

"It's not likely that you would since we're in deep space."

Spock looked at Jim. "Captain, if we hope to stop Admiral Fern we should act now," he said.

"We'll have to go into Klingon space."

"Perhaps if we can stop him from destroying them, the Klingons will want to call a truce."

"That is a very big IF, and a very big Perhaps, Spock. We don't have a way to control that weapon. All the Badorans are gone."

Jim looked at Serena. "How did you survive this time?" he asked.

"They protected me," Serena replied. "Just like they protected me from you. They knew of the weapon."

"Okay then." Jim turned to Spock and the others. "We'll have to go into Klingon space with or without Admiral Carson's approval."

"What will we do once there, Captain?" Spock asked.

"Let's get moving and then we'll talk about that."

They all followed Jim to the Bridge. "Mister Sulu, take us out of orbit, and set a course for Rura Penthe," Jim said.

Sulu was a little surprised at first. "Yes sir," he said and turned to the controls.

Ensign McCoy sat down at his station. He and Sulu exchanged a glance but they had no time to discuss anything. "I want this ship on red alert," Jim said. He opened a ship-wide channel. "I want all personnel at their stations ready for anything. We're going into Klingon space. I don't think I have to tell you how dangerous this is, but we have to stop Admiral Fern from using a weapon against the Klingons. He could wipe them all out…and we're not going to let that happen. Not even the Klingons deserve that."

Jim looked at Spock. "I hope we're doing the right thing," he said.

"I do not see an alternative, Captain," Spock replied. "We cannot sit by and allow the Admiral to bring his own personal war against the Klingons."

"How did he get Elana into this?"

"I believe that is something we would have to ask our rescuers."

Solan was there with them. "Hey, I didn't even know the woman," he said. "That was Mac's idea to bring her here."

"Where is Mac?" Jim asked.

"I haven't seen him since we left for Badoran."

"Well, he couldn't get off the ship unless…"

"Unless he went with the officers who were with Admiral Fern."

Jim turned to Spock. "Check the guest quarters," he said. "Find out if Mac is there."

"Yes, Captain."

Spock left the Bridge, and Jim sat down in the captain's chair. He did not like the idea that they were going into Klingon space, but they did not have a choice. "Captain, we have to be careful of mines," Sulu said.

"He's right," Solan agreed. "They'll jerk this ship out of warp and you won't have a warp drive."

"Then watch for them. You help Mister Sulu."

Solan sat in a chair between Sulu and McCoy. Jim thought Solan had proven himself to be a loyal ally. However, he was certain now that Mac had helped the Admiral to get the right people to the space station to prepare for this attack.

"Captain, Mac is not in the guest quarters," Spock said after several minutes. "Zander is here however. He does not know what role Mac had in this situation."

"Bring Zander up here."

"We will be there shortly."

"By the way, is Carol down there?"

"I have not seen her, Captain."

Jim had thought Carol was on the ship. She must have left before they departed Caleb IV. He supposed it was better that she was not onboard, although he did not know why she was not. He knew she did not go with the Admiral.

Jim suddenly stood up. "Mister Sulu, you have the con," he said and hurried off the Bridge.

By the time Jim got to the guest quarters, he was running. Spock was still there. "Captain, is there a problem?" Spock asked.

"Spock, are you sure Doctor Marcus isn't here?" Jim asked.

"I have not entered her quarters."

"Let's do that."

Spock put in his code to enter Carol's quarters, and he and Jim went in. Jim looked around the room seeing that she had not taken her clothes or anything off the ship. As a matter of fact, there was luggage that had not been unpacked. "Spock, does this look like a room that someone moved out of?" Jim asked.

"No, it does not, Captain," Spock replied. He looked at Jim. "Do you believe she has been kidnapped?"

Jim was not sure he could talk at the moment. "Have Uhura contact Caleb IV and find out if Carol is there," he said finally.

"Yes sir."

Jim stood in the corridor. Why would they take Carol? She must have seen them trying to escape to Elana's ship. That would mean that she was on that ship with Admiral Fern and that weapon…in Klingon space.

Bones came around the corner next. "Jim, what's going on?" he asked.

"I don't know right now," Jim replied.

"What kind of weapons could wipe out all those people like that?"

"I don't know that either. Have you found out anything else from Serena?"

"She doesn't know that much about that weapon."

"What kind of idiot uses a weapon without knowing how to use it, and knowing the consequences of using it?"

"I don't know, but I don't know what we can do about it either."

Jim did not know what they could do either. What if Carol was on that ship? "Tell me what's going on," Bones said.

"They may have Carol," Jim said.

"What?"

"I don't know yet. She's not on the ship. She could have stayed at the…" Jim was sure she did not stay at the station without telling him.

"You better turn this over to Spock."

Jim looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

Jim turned and headed for the Bridge. "Jim, you can't make a decision like this," Bones said.

"Don't tell me what I can't do, Bones," Jim replied. "Have those two women put in the Brig, and make sure they're well-guarded."

Bones stopped and watched Jim for a moment but he went on to do what he was told. Jim arrived on the Bridge where Spock was already waiting for a response from Caleb IV. "Captain, I would like to speak with you privately," Spock said.

"I don't want to talk about it right now, Spock," Jim said. "Not until we have an answer."

"Jim, you are not capable of making a rational decision that involves…"

"Just stop."

Jim sat down in the captain's chair. He hoped Carol just did not get back to the ship in time, but he could not believe that of her. She was a professional and would not have such a ridiculous slip up. Furthermore, he did not even believe she would leave the ship without telling him.

Spock looked at Uhura. She hoped, by some strange occurrence, that Carol would be on Caleb IV. She received a transmission from Caleb IV, and it was their worst fear realized. "Captain, Doctor Marcus is not on Caleb IV," she said, wishing she did not have to tell him.

"Have you scanned the ship thoroughly?"

"We have, Captain. She's not onboard."

"There's only one place she could be then. Why would he take her?"

"She was either in the wrong place, or he purposely had them take her so that he could use her against you," Spock said.

Jim knew exactly how Admiral Fern knew of his relationship with Carol too. He had seen that exchange of glances at the bar, and he had also taken her with him when he went for a meeting…twice. "I just let him know we were involved," he said.

"You could not have known at that time that the Admiral would take this action, Jim," Spock pointed out.

"How are we supposed to get her out of there? She's innocent in all this."

"There are many involved who are innocent, Captain. We should form a plan."

"I don't know what we're going to do yet. We haven't located him yet. I'm sure he would go to Rura Penthe first."

"I agree. There must be a reason that Admiral Fern is so hostile toward the Klingons. Although most people want to avoid them, they do not deliberately want to destroy them."

"You're right. I read the file on Admiral Fern…or all that was there. Maybe he has some personal vendetta against the Klingons."

"And he is not as forgiving as you are."

"I would like to make peace with the Klingons."

"I am not certain that is possible."

"I'm not either, but it's worth a try. Right?"

"Yes, Jim."

They reached Rura Penthe without incident since Sulu and Solan were watching with great care. Jim looked at the mud ball planet, remembering what he had gone through there. "Scan the planet," he said.

Sulu did a thorough scan of the planet. "Captain, I'm not…picking up any life signs," he said. He looked at Jim.

"Why would he wipe out everyone? Are you sure the readings are correct?"

"Yes sir. There's no interference. There's nothing. Do you think he killed them all?"

"Do you pick up any ion trails from a ship?"

Sulu scanned the area. "Yes, sir. It's going deeper into Klingon space."

"We have to find them and stop them."

"Should we go down to the planet and see what happened, Captain?" Spock asked.

"We don't have time, Spock. He's raging an all-out, personal war against the Klingons. Mister Sulu, let's go after them."

They were soon at warp. "Captain, we're receiving a message from Admiral Carson," Uhura said.

Jim stood up. "On screen."

Soon, Admiral Carson's face was on the view screen. "Admiral," Jim said, feeling relieved that he was finally hearing from someone in authority.

"I hear you have a dire situation there, Captain Kirk," Admiral Carson said.

"Yes, sir. Admiral Fern has taken Doctor Carol Marcus. He has fled into Klingon space, and he has wiped out two planets: Badoran and Rura Penthe. I don't know if he killed everyone on Rura Penthe, but there are no life signs on the planet."

"How is he doing this, Captain?"

"He has discovered some weapon that is controlled by telepathic powers, Sir. He has employed a telepath named Elana. She is with him now. The people of Badoran were telepaths and they controlled the weapon."

"Are you pursuing him now, Captain Kirk?"

Jim swallowed hard. "Yes sir. He forced us to take him to Badoran on the Enterprise. We discovered that he had brought others onto the ship that we did not know about, and they escaped and went with him after we discovered them. We have Serena Brather onboard as well as a crew member from the Pinkerton."

"You must stop him at all costs, Captain Kirk. Yours is the only ship in that region that can overpower him."

"Yes sir." Jim felt somewhat relieved that Admiral Carson was not angry that he had gone into Klingon space. "We're tracking his ship now, Sir."

"Keep me informed, Captain. I will inform Caleb IV to be on alert."

The transmission ended. Jim looked at Spock and the others and they could see the relief on his face, but the sadness as well. "How do we rescue Doctor Marcus and stop him at the same time?" Jim asked.

"As you said, we will have to assess the situation when we get there as usual," Spock said. He paused a moment. "What will we do if we are unable to rescue Doctor Marcus?"

Jim did not look up at Spock. He could not think about that. It could not happen. "We will."

Spock did not want to press the issue. He remembered how he had felt when Uhura was in the clutches of Krall. He would have given his life for her, and he knew Jim felt the same way.

"Don't just stand there, Spock," Jim said. "Find out everything you can about that weapon from Serena."

"Yes, Captain."

Spock went to the Brig where Serena was being kept now. "What exactly do you know about this weapon?" he asked.

"I only know it is controlled by telepathy, and it is destructive," Serena replied.

"You must know more than that. What happened to your crew?"

"I already told you, they simply ceased to exist."

"How? Did it consume them?"

"They disappeared, Mister Spock. I know nothing more."

"How did you and Tabitha survive?"

"Tabitha is my daughter. She was in my quarters when it happened. She hid in the access tube."

"So only those in direct contact with the weapon were neutralized?"

"I suppose you could say that. I escaped the ship when it crashed. The Badorans knew of the weapon and they got it under their control. I didn't even know Tabitha was still alive until today."

Spock scowled at that. "You did not know your daughter was alive?" he asked.

"No."

"Why did you not request time with her? The captain would most likely…"

"Your captain most likely hates me for sending the three of you to that Klingon prison."

"You will find that Captain Kirk is quite a forgiving person, and is not filled with hate for others. He is, however, very protective of those he cares about, and right now, the woman he loves is being held captive by the one who now has possession of this weapon. He needs to know how to defeat this weapon."

"I do not know a way." Serena looked at Spock. "You must know how to control something with your mind since you're a Vulcan."

"Not in this manner. I only control my own mind and emotions."

"It's very complicated, is it not?"

Spock looked into the other prison cell where Tabitha was. "I will speak to the captain about putting the two of you together," he said and left the Brig. He went back to the Bridge.

"Did you find out anything?" Jim asked.

"Nothing that will likely help us," Spock replied. "She does not understand how the weapon works, but the Badorans did."

"So the only reason that Admiral Fern can even use it is because he has Elana with him."

"Captain, Tabitha is Serena's daughter."

"What?"

"She did not know that her daughter was alive until this day. I feel that it would be compassionate to let the two of them be together."

"She didn't tell me Tabitha was her daughter."

Jim considered that. "Are you suggesting that we put them together in the Brig?" he asked.

"Only at your order, Captain," Spock replied.

"We'll see about that later."

"Captain, we'll be arriving at Kronos in five minutes," Sulu announced.

"Right now, we have much more important things to worry about, Spock," Jim said.

"Indeed we do, Captain," Spock said. "I believe that if I could do a mind-meld with Elana, I might possibly get control of the weapon."

"How could you do that?"

"There is only one way. We can be certain that the Klingons will be there as well."

Jim nodded. "Maybe if they notice we're helping them, they might not attack us."

"It is possible, Captain, but I am not ready to trust the Klingons."

"Neither am I, Spock, but if we're getting into this, we're taking big chances already."

Jim walked over to Mister Sulu. "I want you to target the propulsion systems on that ship as soon as we get there, as well as their transporters," he said. "We don't want him to be able to transport down to that planet. If we can get them stranded, maybe we can get them off the ship, and away from that weapon. Then we'll destroy it. If the ship is destroyed, the weapon most likely will be too."

"I believe we need to be certain of that fact, Captain," Spock said.

"I agree. Let's just get there and try and get this plan in motion." He looked at Uhura. "If the Klingons contact us, I want you to be ready to talk to them."

"Yes Captain," Uhura replied.


	18. Chapter 18

As they arrived at Kronos, they found that Elana's ship was there, and so were three war birds. However, the space arrow was more maneuverable than a war bird, and faster.

"After them!" Jim said.

They went past the war birds, and Jim wondered how baffled the Klingons were to see a Federation ship in their space. They were not baffled for long, however, because they began firing at them.

"Fire back," Jim said. "But don't destroy the ships. Take evasive actions."

"The deflector shields are holding, Captain," Sulu said.

"That ship is descending into the atmosphere, Captain!" Ensign McCoy said.

"Catch up with that ship, Mister Sulu!" Jim commanded.

Sulu was doing just that as he was evading the attacks from the war birds. "We're being hailed, Captain," Uhura said.

Admiral Fern appeared on the view screen, along with Carol who was looking plenty angry, but frightened as well. Jim stood up. "If you hurt her, I will…"

"Captain, it is you who will cause her harm if you do not call off your pursuit!" Admiral Fern said.

"We won't allow you to destroy the Klingons!"

"Why do you care about the Klingons? They imprisoned you and even tortured you!"

"They are still living beings! You have no right to execute a race of people!"

"Back off, Captain, or I'll beam her out into space!"

Jim thought his anger hit the top of his head, but he could see the fear in Carol's eyes, and it tore at his heart.

"Captain," Sulu said quietly. "I have a lock on their propulsion systems."

Jim swallowed hard as he stared at Carol on the view screen. "Fire, Mister Sulu. Target their shields."

Jim watched as Admiral Fern and Carol were almost knocked off their feet with the impact of the shots. Carol took that opportunity to take action. "Carol!" Jim yelled but the transmission ended. "Are their deflector shields down?!"

"Not yet, Captain, but they're not going anywhere," Sulu answered.

"Get those shields!" He opened a channel to the transporter room. "Scotty, as soon as those shields are down, beam Carol back here!"

"I am waiting, Captain," Scotty replied.

Jim watched as the ship began drifting since it could not be moved now. He knew the Klingons would most likely take advantage of that fact as well. They fired at the ship twice more. "The shields are down," Sulu said.

"Scotty!" Jim yelled.

"The Klingons are moving into attack position! It will be easy for them to destroy the ship now!"

"Scotty!"

"I'm trying to get a lock on her, Captain!" Scotty said. "She's moving!"

Suddenly, a blast rocked the Enterprise. "Captain, there are two more war birds," Spock said. "They are moving into attack positions with the others. There may be more coming."

"We're not leaving without Carol!" Jim said.

"What about Mac?" Solan asked.

Jim had almost forgotten that Solan was even on the Bridge. "He chose to go over there. She didn't!"

"How do you know he chose to?"

Another blast hit the Enterprise. "Fire back at those war birds!" Jim said. "Scotty, are you making any progress?"

"I've almost got her."

"Let me know as soon as you do!"

"Captain, two just beamed down to the planet from that ship," Ensign McCoy said.

"I have Doctor Marcus!" Scotty said over the intercom.

"Is she hurt?" Jim asked with relief in his voice.

"Just a little scared, Captain. Maybe a few bruises, but other than that, she's fine."

"Take the ship down, Mister Sulu," Jim said. "We won't allow them to use that weapon on the Klingon world. The Klingons most likely do not know what is going on here."

"We're being hailed, Captain," Uhura said.

"On screen. Sulu, get us down there."

A Klingon was soon on the view screen. "I'm Captain James T. Kirk."

"Why have you fired on that ship?" the Klingon demanded.

"They possess a weapon that can wipe out this whole planet! They have already wiped out two. We have to stop them. He intends to wipe out all the Klingons!"

"Why do you care about the Klingons?"

"No species deserves to be wiped out! Are you going to help us or not?"

"Why should I trust you? You fired on us!"

"Because you fired at us! You don't have any choice but to trust us, unless you want to be the only Klingons left, and that might not last long! We're wasting time!"

"Captain, there is very unusual activity going on in the northern region of the planet," Spock said.

"Fire at them!" Jim said. "Fire now!"

Jim watched as they rained phasers and torpedoes at whoever was on the planet. He was certain he knew who it was, however. "The unusual activity has ceased, Captain," Spock said.

"We have to make sure it's destroyed," Jim said as he looked at Spock.

"How do we get past the Klingons to do that, Captain?"

"I don't know. Maybe they're a little distracted right now. They've stopped firing."

"Are you suggesting that someone will beam down to the planet?"

"How else can we be sure, Spock?"

"Do we even know what this weapon looks like?"

"We'll figure it out."

"I am not certain that this plan will work."

"Take care of the Bridge, Spock. I'm going down there."

Jim left the Bridge and made a stop at the weapons locker on his way to the transporter room. "Scotty, did you get everyone else off that ship?" he asked.

"I got Mac, and two of the other officers, but couldn't get the others," Scotty said.

"I have to go down to the planet and make sure that weapon is destroyed."

"You're going alone?"

"There's no need for anyone else to go."

"I don't agree, Captain."

Just then, Spock came into the transporter room. "Captain, I do not agree with you going down there alone," he said.

Jim could see that he was armed as well. They both stepped onto the transporter pad. "Energize," Jim said. He knew there was no need to argue with Spock.

They were soon down on the planet. There was a lot of smoke and black ground where their firing had hit its mark. There was also a slight crater. They looked into the crater and could clearly see one body there. "Jim, there is only one," Spock pointed out. "I do not see any type of device."

They looked around them, knowing there were two who beamed down to the planet. However, they did not have much time to search because two Klingon war birds appeared through the smoke and gloom. Jim and Spock ran for cover among the rocks and hills, knowing that the Klingons would most likely fire at them since they did not trust them.

Jim grabbed his communicator. "Do not transport us yet, Mister Scott," he said. "Scan this area for anyone other than us and the Klingons."

By the time he said that, there was suddenly a wind strong enough to push the war birds backward. Jim and Spock looked to see Elana standing on a rock, and her eyes were glowing as well as…the gold plate in the center of her forehead. Jim had not noticed that before. "Jim, I believe Elana is a Badoran," Spock said.

"I believe you're right, Spock," Jim replied. "Now how do we stop her?"

"I have an idea, Jim. You aim for the weapon, and I will attempt to stop her."

"You give me all the easy jobs."

"Do you agree, Captain?"

"Yes, Spock. I was only kidding."

Jim moved from their hiding place to another rock. He could see the weapon that Elana was using. It looked like a glowing disk much like the one she had on her forehead. "Elana!" he yelled.

Elana looked at him with her glowing eyes. "Stay out of this, Captain!" she said. "Or you will cease to exist as well!"

"This is not the way!"

Jim ran as a beam from the weapon came in his direction. The wind that was blowing was carrying a lot of dust and dirt now, but Jim could see that Spock was coming up behind Elana. Jim fired at the weapon. It sputtered slightly, and Elana screamed in anger, and it seemed like agony too.

Spock suddenly grabbed Elana as Jim fired at the weapon again. Spock attempted to do a mind-meld as Elana screamed again. He realized that if Jim destroyed the weapon while Elana was controlling it, she would be…mindless. "Release your control of the weapon!" Spock demanded.

"NO!"

"You have to!"

Jim fired at the weapon again and again. He did not know if he was making much progress at destroying it, but then one of the Klingon war birds fired at it. The weapon then stopped glowing for a moment, and then it exploded in an incredibly bright light. Jim crouched behind one of the rocks as the explosion also seemed to cause an even stronger wind storm. Spock had dragged Elana behind a rock as well.

"Enterprise, beam us up!" Jim yelled. "Beam us up now!"

"Working on that, Captain!" Scotty replied.

Jim hid his face and eyes and finally he was onboard the Enterprise. He saw that Spock and Elana were also on the ship, but Elana was unconscious. "What happened to her?" Jim asked.

"She was connected to the weapon," Spock answered.

"I have to get to the Bridge."

Jim ran for the Bridge as the Enterprise rocked with a shot from one of the war birds. "Is the weapon destroyed?" he asked.

"It seems to be slowly consuming itself, Captain," Sulu said.

"Can you get a lock on it?"

"It's very small, Captain, but I think we can get a phaser lock on it."

"Let's make sure that thing is destroyed."

They fired at the weapon again and it exploded in an even brighter light. "Let's get out of Klingon space!" Jim said.

Sulu turned the ship around and headed away from Kronos. "Captain, we're being hailed again," Uhura said.

"On screen."

The face that appeared on the screen was another Klingon. " _Why did you bring your trouble to Klingon space_?" he asked in Klingon, and Uhura told Jim what he said.

"We didn't bring that trouble here. We came here to stop them from destroying all of you."

" _How did you know of this_?"

"Because we were witnesses to what the weapon could do."

" _You are with the Federation_?"

"Yes. The head of Starfleet sent us here to stop them. They were part of Starfleet as well. We do not agree with their actions."

The Klingon was silent for a moment. " _We will talk of this again. You are free to leave our space."_

The transmission ended and Jim just stood there a moment. He looked at Uhura. "Did that just happen?" he asked.

"Unless we're having the same dream, Captain," Uhura replied.

Jim looked at Sulu. "Get us out of here before they change their minds."

"I don't believe they will. It would not be honorable."

"Maybe not but I want to get out as quickly as we can."

Jim sighed with relief as he hoped this was over now. "I have to go and see about the others," he said. "Sulu, take care of the Bridge."

"Yes sir."

Jim left the Bridge. There was only one person he wanted to see first. He hurried to the sick bay and Bones was scanning Elana as he walked in. "How is she?" he asked.

"It's hard to say," Bones replied. "She's…mindless. She must have had to become one with that weapon in order to control it."

"And when we destroyed it…"

"You didn't have any other choice. What kind of nut would join themselves to a weapon anyway?"

"I don't know, Bones, but she didn't seem like a nut. Maybe it was something personal."

"Maybe. I guess we'll never know."

"She was obviously a Badoran. Why did she hide that from us? And why would she go along with Admiral Fern wiping them out?"

"You got me."

Jim looked around the sick bay. "Where is Carol?"

"I'm assuming she's in her quarters. She was pretty tired."

"Thanks, Bones. Where's Spock? Is he okay?"

"I'm not sure where he is, but he's fine too."

Jim left the sick bay and headed for the guest quarters. He could not help but wonder why Spock had not reported to the Bridge. However, he had to see Carol and see how she was himself. He arrived at her quarters and thought about just walking in but he rang the door chime.

"Enter," Carol said.

The door opened and Jim could see she was lying on the bed, but she sat up. He walked over and hugged her and then kissed her. "I'm so glad you're okay," he said.

"I was really scared, Jim," Carol replied.

"I knew you were. I was scared too. We're out of there now, and we're getting away from Klingon space."

"It wasn't the Klingons this time."

Jim frowned. "I know. Did you hear anything they said that might help us understand why they did it?"

"Not much. I have a feeling that Mac might know." Carol sighed. "I'm sorry I brought him into this."

"Hey, if it hadn't been for him and Solan, we might have had a hard time getting out of that prison. They knew enough about that place to know when to go in."

"I guess. I thought he was trustworthy."

"I'm going to talk to him, but I wanted to see you first. We'll have dinner later if you feel like it…in my quarters."

Carol smiled. "I'm sure I will."

"Good. I'll be back later."

They kissed again, and Jim left there and went to the Brig. He frowned as he looked at Mac in the prison cell. "You betrayed us," he said.

"Captain Kirk, I only went along with Elana and Admiral Fern because I wanted to do something about that Klingon prison," Mac said.

"By wiping everyone on it out? That's no way to solve a problem! There were innocent beings in that prison."

"Not anymore."

"What would you have said if your brother was still in there? You're gonna answer for your part in that."

"I didn't have a part in it. I just went along."

"Don't try to worm your way out now. You left this ship with them, and you knew they were taking Doctor Marcus, and you did nothing! You knew who Elana was when you called her into this, and you knew what Admiral Fern intended to do, didn't you?"

"Not at the start. I didn't think it was such a bad idea."

"It was a bad idea. But I don't decide your fate, Starfleet does."

Jim turned to leave. "What would you have done if Admiral Carson had told you to go ahead, Captain Kirk?" Mac asked.

"I wouldn't have committed murder or genocide," Jim answered. He went on out of the Brig.

They were soon out of Klingon space and arrived back at Caleb IV. Officials from Starfleet would finally arrive at Caleb IV. For one thing, there would have to be another Admiral appointed to be there, and another thing, they were going to deal with the legal matters that were suddenly upon them. Jim was glad he did not have to do anything but write reports about what happened, and he would probably have to testify in the hearing. He hoped he would not, but he would stay at Caleb IV until Admiral Carson arrived. He hoped some good would come of all this, perhaps even a truce with the Klingons.


End file.
